RT Article
T1 Does Having a Minor Child Affect Criminal Charges and Sanctions Imposed on Female Defendants?
JF Women & criminal justice
VO 31
IS 2
SP 108
OP 129
A1 Sloan, Frank A. 1942-
A2 Gifford, Elizabeth J.
A2 Evans, Kelly E.
A2 Kozecke, Lindsey E.
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1751840980
AB This study examined effects of having a minor child(ren) on the probability of being prosecuted, convicted, and if convicted, the sanctions that were imposed. Data were state-wide court and birth records of criminally-charged women in North Carolina, a state with sentencing guidelines. We hypothesized that (a) prosecutors would be less likely to prosecute and more likely to lower an offense class and (b) judges (when they had discretion) would be more lenient for women in sentencing with minor children than without. Having a minor child(ren) reduced the probability of prosecution; given prosecution, conviction rates fell. When the judge had discretion, having minor children reduced the probability of an active sentence. Having a minor child had no effect on minimum sentence length for women with active sentences. Presence of a minor child affects prosecutorial and judicial decisions affecting women charged with a criminal offense.
K1 Prosecutorial Discretion
K1 Mothers
K1 parental status
DO 10.1080/08974454.2019.1688222