Comparing Apples to Oranges: Differences in Women’s and Men’s Incarceration and Sentencing Outcomes

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Labor Economics
Year: 2017
Volume: 35
Issue: S1
Pages: S201 - S234

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

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 semiparametric 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.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/691276
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25