The Oxford Handbook of Sentencing

Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-0-19-764610-6
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 474 Seiten, Format (B × H): 176 mm x 251 mm, Gewicht: 972 g

The Oxford Handbook of Sentencing explores one of the most consequential and contested decision-points in the criminal justice system: whether and how to punish those convicted of crimes. During this period of political polarization, declining trust in institutions, and concerns about the treatment of immigrants in the United States and elsewhere, longstanding sentencing practices are being questioned and reforms are afoot. This volume examines how sentencing policies and practices have evolved, and crucially, where they might go next.

Drawing on the insights of leading scholars, the Handbook situates contemporary sentencing within a broader historical and social context. It traces the policies that gave rise to mass incarceration, the shifting philosophies behind punishment, and the consequences of punitive sentencing. From the enduring legacies of the war on drugs to the rise of "crimmigration" and the lessons from COVID-19's shock to the courts, the volume looks at the forces that influence sentencing decisions and the policy levers available to reformers.

This volume also confronts the longstanding inequalities associated with sentencing practices, including racial and citizenship-based disparities. It examines how decisions made at various stages of the criminal justice process - from legislation to charging to parole - contribute to disparities. Some chapters identify opportunities for reform, offering insights for a sentencing paradigm that balances crime control, due process, and equality.

Autoren/Hrsg.

King, Ryan D.

Light, Michael T.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- Introduction: Sentencing in Uncertain Times

- Part I. The Punitive Era in Context

- 1: Nancy Gertner: A History of American Sentencing

- 2: Todd R Clear: Just Let 'Em Out

- 3: Tapio Lappi-Seppälä: U.S. Incarceration and Sentencing in Comparative Perspective

- Part II. Consequences of Sentencing Policy and Practice

- 4: Derek Neal and Armin Rick: The Role of Policy in Prison Growth and Decline

- 5: Cheryl Marie Webster: Some Things Never Change: Revisiting the Empirical Evidence on the Effectiveness of the "Deterrence through Severity" Model in Reducing Crime

- 6: Amanda Geller and P'trice Jones: Downstream Consequences: The Children of the Prison Boom

- Part III. Case Processing

- 7: Carissa Byrne Hessick: Prosecutorial Discretion and Sentencing

- 8: Nick Petersen and Stacie St. Louis: The Pre-trial Detention and Punishment Nexus: Reforms to Address the Immediate Pains and Downstream Consequences of Detention

- 9: Rhys Hester: Does Criminal History Count Too Much in Sentencing Decisions?

- 10: Kristen Bell: Legality, Dignity, and Discretion: An Argument to (Re)Structure Parole-Release Decisions

- Part IV. Racial Disparities and Inequalities

- 11: Michael Javen Fortner and Cameron Stevens: Race, Crime, and the Prison Buildup

- 12: Brian D Johnson and Sean Houlihan: The Shifting Color Line: Skin Tone Stratification and Criminal Legal Outcomes

- 13: Mona Lynch: Prosecutors and the Production of Racial Inequality in Sentencing

- 14: Jeffery T Ulmer: Inequalities in the Death Penalty: Race, Victims, and Geographic Arbitrariness

- 15: Sandra Susan Smith and Felix Owusu: From Racialized Punishment to Care and Accountability: Reimagining Justice through a Historically Informed, Racial Equity Lens

- Part V. Sentencing Immigrants and Noncitizens

- 16: Ingrid V Eagly: Punishing Immigration

- 17: Michael T Light and Avery Warner: Immigration Federalism and Noncitizen Punishment Inequality

- 18: Maartje van der Woude and Vanessa Barker: Punishing Mobility in Europe

- Part VI. Sentencing and the Possibility of Reform

- 19: Richard S Frase: After 40 Years of Sentencing Guidelines, Should There be 40 More?

- 20: Benjamin Levin: "Progressive" Prosecutors and "Proper" Punishments

- 21: Cecelia Klingele: Assessing the Early Influence of the Model Penal Code's Revised Sentencing Provisions

- 22: Sema A Taheri and Robert Hutchison: Sentencing Information Systems

- 23: Douglas A Berman: Legalization and Decriminalization of Drugs: Starting the Next Sentencing Revolution?

- 24: Tatjana Hörnle: Sentencing in Europe: What Lessons Can We Draw?

Über Autor(innen)

Ryan D. King is Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on criminal law and intergroup conflict, with an emphasis on hate crimes and sentencing. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, and other agencies and foundations.

Michael T. Light is Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds degrees in Sociology and Criminology from Penn State University. His research focuses on crime, punishment, and immigration. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, the Russell Sage Foundation, and other agencies.