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Gender Equality: Women Serving Less Time Than Men for Identical Crimes

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Gender Equality: Women Serving Less Time Than Men for Identical Crimes
Running Head: GENDER EQUALITY

Gender Equality: Women Serving Less Time than Men for Identical Crimes

Abstract The Federal criminal sentencing guideline which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 required that males and females who commit the same crime and have the same prior criminal history be sentenced equally (Oaxaca, Sarnikar, & Sorensen, 2007). By using data obtained from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice records, we examine the existence of any gender-based bias in criminal sentencing decisions (Oaxaca, Sarnikar, & Sorensen, 2007). We treat the crime as the independent variable, and the time served as the dependent variable that will determine these truths. Additionally, we control the variables through examining random cases that were identical in offense type and prior criminal history. If time served is not equal amongst both male and female, stricter policies should be enforced in order to have fairness in sentencing.

Gender Equality: Women Serving Less Time than Men for Identical Crimes
Introduction
Women are serving lighter sentences than men for identical crimes; figures retrieved by the Department of Justice showed that being male increases a murders chance of receiving a death sentence by more than 20%. Yet very few women even serve time for crimes such as rape of minors. By looking at the state sentencing commission records, it can be proven that women serve shorter sentences. Can tougher policies be enforced for these discrepancies in sentencing? If it is evident and has been for years, why is there nothing being done about this issue? While many argue that men commit more aggressive crimes than women, studies can prove that some women commit these same heinous crimes. Unfortunately, leniency for men seems to have no place in the criminal justice system, especially when it comes to the murdering of a spouse. Over the past several years, some women have been allowed to serve little to no time at all for the murder



References: Angelucci, M. (2001). Men Receive Longer Sentencing. Retrieved January 15, 2010, from Los Angelos Daily Journal: http://www.dvmen.org/dv-54.htm Demuth, S., & Doerner, J. (2009). The Independent and Joint Effects of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Age on Sentencing Outcomes in U.S. Federal Courts . Justice Quarterly, 1-27. Dowdey, S., & Toothman, J. (2011). Do Women Receive Lighter Sentences than Men for the Same Crime? Retrieved January 15, 2011, from Investigation Discovery: http://investigation.discovery.com/women-and-crime/sentencing-women.html Jacobs, T. (2010, August 12). In Crime of Passion, Women Get the Benefit of the Doubt. Retrieved January 15, 2011, from The Masculine Heart: http://masculineheart.blogspot.com/2010/08/in-crimes-of-passion-women-get-benefit.html McDonagh, M. (2003, March 4). Women Should Not Be Allowed to get Away With Murder. Retrieved January 13, 2011, from the Daily Telegraph: http://fact.on.ca/news/news0303/te030304.htm Oaxaca, R., Sarnikar, S., & Sorensen, T. (2007, June). Do You Receive a Lighter Prison Sentence Because You Are a Woman? An Economic Analysis of Federal Criminal Sentencing Guidelines . Retrieved January 13, 2011, from Social Science Research Network: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=999358

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