RACE AND SENTENCING OUTCOMES AMONG FEMALE DRUG OFFENDERS IN NORTH CAROLINA: AN EXPLORATORY CONSIDERATION OF EARLIER CASE PROCESSING OUTCOMES

A largely unanswered question is whether black and white female offenders receive differential treatment by the criminal justice system. The current exploratory study examined sentencing outcomes for a random sample of female drug offenders convicted during calendar year 2000 in a large urban jurisdiction in North Carolina, with consideration given to earlier case processing outcomes. Black and white women came to the attention of the authorities in different ways and had notably different drug indictment charges. Black women were more likely to receive charge severity reductions at the disposition stage than white women, and this appeared to be related to the manner in which they were apprehended by the police. Findings for differences at the sentencing stage were mixed. While black women were not more likely to end up behind bars than white women, they were more likely to be given shorter community-based punishments. Police interdiction strategies did not influence the sentencing outcome.