The Impact of COVID-19 on Sentencing Practices

Jordan Zvonkovich; Matthew Kleiman; Rhys Hester; C. Clare Strange

doi:10.1007/s12103-023-09730-y

The Impact of COVID-19 on Sentencing Practices

Jordan Zvonkovich, Matthew Kleiman, Rhys Hester, C. Clare Strange

Sociology and Criminology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted court operations across the country. In March and April of 2020 “business-as-usual” was upended and the entire court system was forced to respond in an unprecedented way. Using Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing data, we explore the impact that COVID-19 had on sentencing outcomes. Three distinct periods: pre-COVID-19, the onset of COVID-19 during which an emergency judicial order limited court operations, and a period after the order was lifted are defined to compare trends and assess differences. Utilizing the natural experiment created by the pandemic we present a descriptive and multivariate analysis of sentencing practices focused on racial disparities. The paper employs two theoretical frameworks (focal concerns and the liberation hypothesis) to motivate competing expectations regarding sentencing behavior and disparities.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	921-944
Number of pages	24
Journal	American Journal of Criminal Justice
Volume	48
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-023-09730-y
State	Published - Aug 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Law

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10.1007/s12103-023-09730-y

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title = "The Impact of COVID-19 on Sentencing Practices",

abstract = "The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted court operations across the country. In March and April of 2020 “business-as-usual” was upended and the entire court system was forced to respond in an unprecedented way. Using Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing data, we explore the impact that COVID-19 had on sentencing outcomes. Three distinct periods: pre-COVID-19, the onset of COVID-19 during which an emergency judicial order limited court operations, and a period after the order was lifted are defined to compare trends and assess differences. Utilizing the natural experiment created by the pandemic we present a descriptive and multivariate analysis of sentencing practices focused on racial disparities. The paper employs two theoretical frameworks (focal concerns and the liberation hypothesis) to motivate competing expectations regarding sentencing behavior and disparities.",

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AB - The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted court operations across the country. In March and April of 2020 “business-as-usual” was upended and the entire court system was forced to respond in an unprecedented way. Using Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing data, we explore the impact that COVID-19 had on sentencing outcomes. Three distinct periods: pre-COVID-19, the onset of COVID-19 during which an emergency judicial order limited court operations, and a period after the order was lifted are defined to compare trends and assess differences. Utilizing the natural experiment created by the pandemic we present a descriptive and multivariate analysis of sentencing practices focused on racial disparities. The paper employs two theoretical frameworks (focal concerns and the liberation hypothesis) to motivate competing expectations regarding sentencing behavior and disparities.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Sentencing Practices

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