The state of race and punishment in America: Is justice really blind?

Purpose: The study of racial disparity in the formal application of punishment (i.e., criminal sentencing) is widely recognized as an important area of research. Hundreds of studies have weighed in to determine whether race influences sentence outcomes (e.g., imprisonment and sentence length) and the current work attempts to summarize key aspects of this expansive literature. Methods: The present assessment relies on 1) prior reviews of the race/sentencing literature and 2) the latest research published since the year 2010 to answer a series of important questions about the race/sentencing relationship. Results: The preponderance of evidence indicates that race and ethnicity often play a small to moderate role in key sentence outcomes. Relative to white offenders, those who are African American, Latina/o, and Native American often receive harsher sentences, while those who are Asian often receive similar or more lenient sentences. These findings, however, are not universal and tend to be context specific. Conclusion: The process of criminal sentencing strives for race neutrality but does not always achieve this goal.