Citation

MacDonald S, Erickson P, Allen B. J. Crim. Justice 1999; 27(3): 275-286.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0047-2352(98)00065-8

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The presence or absence of alcohol or other drugs in the commission of crimes can affect sentencing. In order to study this issue, self-administered questionnaires were mailed to all Criminal Division judges in Ontario, Canada. The questionnaire contained questions on both attitudes and sentencing practices for violent crimes where drugs or alcohol were involved. Judges were randomly assigned to four groups and asked to give sentences to hypothetical cases with varying conditions of alcohol and drug involvement. No significant differences were found in terms of severity of sentences for the different conditions; however, the judges said they were more likely to give severe sentences for crimes involving alcohol or other drugs compared to the same crimes when alcohol or other drugs were not involved. For offenders with an alcohol or drug problem, seeking treatment was significantly more likely than not seeking treatment to be viewed as a mitigating factor for sentencing.