Exploring sex disparity in sentencing outcomes: a focus on narcotics offenders in South Korea.
Most research on sentencing outcomes reveals that legally relevant factors such as the seriousness of the offense and prior criminal record are primary determinants. There is, however, a substantial body of research that finds that extralegal factors such as a defendant's sex also influence these outcomes. Most of these latter studies conclude that female defendants receive less severe outcomes compared to their male counterparts. Most of this research, however, is limited to Western societies. To extend this body of research, the current study examines sex differences in sentencing practices for a sample of narcotics offenders in South Korea. Results support previous research; female drug offenders in South Korea are generally treated more leniently than their male counterparts. Tests for interaction effects reveal that the defendant's sex also interacts with other constellations of factors to produce lenient treatment for certain female defendants. These tests, however, also reveal that lenient sentence outcomes are not extended to all female defendants; those with prior drug convictions do not fare better than their male counterparts at the incarceration decision.
Department of Criminal Justice, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78207, USA. Richard.Hartley@utsa.edu
Richard D
RD
Hartley
Dae-Hoon
DH
Kwak
Mirang
M
Park
Min-Sik
MS
Lee
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003132:Commerce / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009294:Narcotics; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders; D026706:Paternalism; D011287:Prejudice; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013240:Stereotyping
D009294:Narcotics