Read the article entitled, Federal criminal sentencing: Race-based disparate impact and differential treatment in judicial districts, included in this Module’s resources in your course Libguide.
The Supreme Court case United States v. Booker, in which the Supreme Court held that mandatory guidelines for sentencing violated the Sixth Amendment, changed the way jurists sentenced offenders. As a result of Booker, the prior practice of using strict sentencing guidelines was changed to being at the court’s discretion.
Reflect and examine the statement, ‘The federal government analyzes over one-half million sentencing records publicly available from the United States Sentencing Commission database, spanning the years 2006 to 2020. At the system-wide level, Black and Hispanic defendants receive average sentences that are approximately 19 months (about 1 and a half years) longer and 5 months longer, than whites” (Topaz et al., 2023, p. 1).
Prepare a reflective paper that includes the following:
· Discuss your thoughts on the Booker decision’s impact, in your opinion, on racial biases in sentencing practices.
· What are your thoughts on eliminating restrictions on sentencing and the court using its discretion?
· Should there be additional oversight to ensure racial biases do not become prevalent?
· Given the knowledge of the disparity in sentencing practices, what are your thoughts? What additional questions or comments do you have on sentencing practices in America?
Length: 2-4 pages, not including title and reference pages
References: Support your assignment with at least 2 scholarly resources.
The completed assignment should address all the assignment requirements, exhibit evidence of concept knowledge, and demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the content presented in the course. The writing should integrate scholarly resources, reflect academic expectations, and current APA standards.
When applicable, conduct a Turnitin pre-check and then upload your completed assignment and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Reference:
Topaz, C. M., Ning, S., Ciocanel, M. V., & Bushway, S. (2023). Federal criminal sentencing: Race-based disparate impact and differential treatment in judicial districts. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, 366(2023).