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The Effects of Race/Ethnicity and National Origin on Length of Sentence in the United States Virgin Islands

University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Although researchers have acknowledged the importance of environmental and contextual factors in the judicial decision-making process, there is a lack of attention to sentencing decisions and outcomes in territorial courts of the United States. Drawing on the focal concerns perspective, this study analyzes the sentences of 583 federal defendants sentenced in the District Court of the United States Virgin Islands between 1997 and 2004. The findings reveal that net of legally relevant factors, Hispanics receive harsher sentences than blacks, and legal aliens receive prison sentences that are significantly longer than those received by U.S. citizens. However, the influence of legal alien status is driven by the harsher sentences imposed on defendants who are citizens of the Dominican Republic. The meaning and implications of the influence of citizenship status and race/ethnicity in a context where race/ethnicity are not overriding statuses, as they are on the U.S. mainland, are discussed.

Key Words: sentencing • Virgin Islands • Dominican Republic • territorial courts • race/ethnicity • citizenship status

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 623, No. 1, 64-76 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0002716208330705


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