Citation

Lu Y. Rural Sociol. (1936) 2018; 83(2): 402-430.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Rural Sociological Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/ruso.12204

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research on criminal punishment and judicial decision making consistently reveals that female offenders receive more lenient treatment than similarly situated male counterparts. A major shortcoming in this body of research, however, is the lack of studies on whether the effects of gender on sentencing differ across geographic localities, such as in rural versus urban courts. Using a rich database on recent sentencing practices in Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2010 (N = 186,634), this study addresses this gap by investigating and comparing the effects of gender on sentence outcomes across six types of locality categorized by their level of rurality. Consistent with the focal concerns theory of punishment decision making, the results indicate robust gender effects on sentencing outcomes across places. When other factors are held constant, female defendants consistently receive more lenient treatment; they are less likely to be incarcerated and receive short sentences if incarcerated. The magnitudes of gender disparities are consistent across levels of the rural-urban continuum, with one exception: female leniency in shorter jail or prison sentences is greater in the smallest and most rural localities than in other areas. The article discusses implications of the study findings for research on sentencing and rurality.

Language: en