Date of Award
5-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Social Sciences
Committee Chair/Advisor
Rhys Hester
Committee Member
Miao Li
Committee Member
Pierce Greenberg
Abstract
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted every facet of the United States justice system, disrupting traditional systems and introducing a new era of virtual alternatives. This unprecedented crisis provides a unique opportunity to empirically study the interplay between health risks, shutdowns, and uncertainty and the foundational value of fair and impartial justice. Using North Carolina sentencing data from 2016-2022, this study delves into the consequences of the pandemic on sentencing outcomes after the virus was declared a national emergency in March 2020. Framed within the Focal Concerns (FC) theory, I expect judges to be more lenient in their sentences during and after the onset of COVID-19. I also expect that racial disparities will increase for incarceration, but will remain unchanged for sentence length. The study will entail both a descriptive and multivariate analysis of sentencing outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Reynolds, Noah Samuel, "Unmasking Justice: Racial Disparity Trends in Sentencing Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2024). All Theses. 4235.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/4235