... drug offenses as white defendants serve for violent offenses-a result largely attributed to biases in federal statutory penalties for offenses involving crack versus powder cocaine (Mauer and King, 2007a). Understanding why, how, and under what contexts defendant race affects sentencing decisions is crucial to addressing such disparate outcomes. Since the early 20th century, ... reform and equalize sentencing in the federal courts. The Sentencing Reform Act created the United States Sentencing Commission, abolished federal parole, and narrowed judicial discretion at sentencing through t...

• Word Count: 2620
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate

... exhorts middle and lower class Americans to reject that which divides them and embrace their commonalities irrespective of phenotypical differences. Wilson views the problems of the fragmented, disadvantaged classes primarily through the prism of adverse economic factors and governmental policies which affect each fragment of the group similarly. It is imperative that each element of the entire class recognize its particular ... ...

• Word Count: 1618
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Graduate