Citation

Farnworth M, Horan PM. Soc. Sci. Res. 1980; 9(4): 381-399.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1980, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0049-089X(80)80004-4

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

We examine the hypothesis that the criminal justice system operates differently for blacks and whites, using a covariance model to test for the existence of differences between racial groups in the effects of social background and procedural factors on criminal court outcomes. Our study employs data from simple random samples of court case records in North Carolina. Four case outcomes at each of two court levels are investigated. Findings suggest that (1) black defendants face different processes than whites at numerous stages of the criminal justice process; (2) the nature of these differences is not uniform across various stages and at different court levels; and (3) when racial differences in processing occur, they are likely to occur at stages prior to final sentencing. Our discussion explores the implications of these findings for the validity of (1) conclusions drawn from earlier research; and (2) traditional theoretical explanations for criminal justice discrimination.