2011 Sentencing outcome of convicted child sex offenders

Understanding the criminal justice system requires an understanding of sentencing results. This study investigates the sentences imposed on child sex offenders based on information gathered over an eight-year period. The duration of the jail sentence, the length of the probation sentence, and whether the convicted offender is really sent to prison or probation are examined using multiple regression and nominal log linear regression. While many independent variables appear to be related to sentence outcome, they fall into three categories: characteristics of the offender, characteristics of the victim, and characteristics of the crime.  This study also demonstrates that, at least in relation to these statistics, the criminal justice system’s sentencing procedure is effective because individuals who committed more serious crimes received longer terms.