Massachusetts Statewide Criminal Justice Guidelines Evaluation, 1979: Sentencing Data (ICPSR 7909)
Version Date: Feb 16, 1992 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Richard F. Sparks
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07909.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
This data collection is the result of a project established to study the development, implementation, and use of statewide sentencing guidelines and to report on the perceptions of criminal justice system personnel and inmates regarding those guidelines. Funded by the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, the project was carried out by the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice from October 1978 to June 1981. Additional data produced by this project are contained in two other studies held by ICPSR: NEW JERSEY STATEWIDE CRIMINAL JUSTICE GUIDELINES EVALUATION, 1979 (ICPSR 7910) and NEW JERSEY STATEWIDE CRIMINAL JUSTICE GUIDELINES EVALUATION, 1980: INMATE SURVEY DATA (ICPSR 7911). The Massachusetts Sentencing Data contains information on a random sample of 1,440 convicted defendants sentenced in the Massachusetts Superior Court between November 1977 and October 1978. The sample represents approximately one-third of the actual number of defendants sentenced in the Massachusetts Superior Court during a one-year period. The cases were selected and coded by the Massachusetts Sentencing Guidelines project during 1979. Variables include information about each defendant's juvenile and adult criminal history, characteristics of the current offense, and the elements of the disposition of the current offense. Demographic data include defendant's age, sex, race, marital status, employment status, occupation, income, number of children, educational attainment, and drug and alcohol use history.
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Sample View help for Sample
Defendants in 10 of 14 Massachusetts counties. Approximately 20 percent of these cases were excluded from the sample due to insufficient information in their records.
Universe View help for Universe
Defendants sentenced in the Massachusetts Superior Court during 1979.
Data Source View help for Data Source
records located in county district attorneys' offices
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HideOriginal Release Date View help for Original Release Date
1984-03-18
Version History View help for Version History
- Sparks, Richard F. Massachusetts Statewide Criminal Justice Guidelines Evaluation, 1979: Sentencing Data. ICPSR07909-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2001. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07909.v1
Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.