Working Paper: NBER ID: w23079
Authors: Kristin F. Butcher; Kyung H. Park; Anne Morrison Piehl
Abstract: Using detailed administrative records, we find that, on average, women receive lighter sentences in comparison with men along both extensive and intensive margins. Using parametric and semi-parametric decomposition methods, roughly 30% of the gender differences in incarceration cannot be explained by the observed criminal characteristics of offense and offender. We also find evidence of considerable heterogeneity across judges in their treatment of female and male offenders. There is little evidence, however, that tastes for gender discrimination are driving the mean gender disparity or the variance in treatment between judges.
Keywords: incarceration; sentencing; gender disparities
JEL Codes: J16; K14; K42
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| assignment of a judge from the 75th percentile (K40) | likelihood of incarceration for women (K14) |
| gender differences (J16) | sentencing outcomes (K40) |
| entry of a lenient judge (K40) | female incarceration rates (K14) |
| entry of a harsh judge (K40) | female incarceration rates (K14) |
| gender (J16) | sentencing outcomes (K40) |
| gender (J16) | incarceration rates (K14) |