The Impact of Indigenous Status on Adult Sentencing: A Review of the Statistical Research Literature From the United States, Canada, and Australia
Open accessAbstract
The gross overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in prison populations suggests that sentencing may be a discriminatory process. Using findings from recent (1991–2011) multivariate statistical sentencing analyses from the United States, Canada, and Australia, we review the 3 key hypotheses advanced as plausible explanations for baseline sentencing discrepancies between Indigenous and non-Indigenous adult criminal defendants: (a) differential involvement, (b) negative discrimination, and (c) positive discrimination. Overall, the prior research shows strong support for the differential involvement thesis and some support for the discrimination theses (positive and negative). We argue that where discrimination is found, it may be explained by the lack of a more complete set of control variables in researchers’ multivariate models and/or differing political and social contexts.
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Federal criminal justice powers over Indian Country, complex jurisdictional authority in Indian Country, racial profiling, and overpolicing in Indian Country are cited across research as key factors contributing to the disparate carceral system experiences of Native individuals.
“Federal criminal justice powers over Indian Country, the complex maze of jurisdictional authority in Indian Country, racial profiling, and overpolicing in Indian Country are cited across research as key factors contributing to the disparate carceral system experiences of Native individuals”
From Indigenous Carceral System Inequalities in the US: A Synthesis of the Literature About the Nature and Sources (2025) · cites this paper as Jeffries and Bond 2012
The Introduction (page unavailable) notes the over-representation of Indigenous Americans in prisons and jails, and “Native American Criminal Defendants and the Imprisonment Decision” reports some sentencing disparities. The paper does not identify federal powers or complex jurisdiction in Indian Country, racial profiling, or overpolicing there as factors contributing to those disparities. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Jeffries, S., & Bond, C. E. W.
- Affiliations
- Queensland University of Technology (AU)
- Venue
- Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2012-07-01
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 223-243
- ISSN
- 1537-7938 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-7946
- OpenAlex
- W2118661158
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 9.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- eprints.qut.edu.au
- Locations
- Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice (publishedVersion)
- QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Social Sciences › Law › Criminal Justice and Penology
- Social Sciences › Education › Education Discipline and Inequality
- Keywords
- indigenous peoples, sentencing disparities, racial discrimination in criminal justice, affirmative action, negative discrimination, Indigenous status
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