A study in the sociology of criminal law: legal and non-legal factors affecting the length of prison sentence

This study presents an initial attempt to develop a model of a decision-making process which lawyers could employ in seeking the most lenient sentence possible for their clients. Regression equations depicting the direct effect of a number of legal and nonlegal (social) factors on the length of prison sentence were constructed on the basis of data collected from the Division of Corrections and the Bureau. of Research and Reporting of the State of Virginia. Analysis of the data revealed that the type of crime one was convicted of, acted as a specifying variable; thus, the regression equations were developed in crime specific terms. Comparing the regression equations for the seven different types of crime sampled, it was found that no two of them were the same. Moreover, the ability of the regression equations to explain the variance in the length of prison sentence was found to fluctuate drastically. Nevertheless, it was felt that the advocated model could be of some utility to lawyers.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology

Department dc:contributor.department

Sociology

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1973

Author dc:creator

• Leggette, Thomas Alan

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76381

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76381