Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Rigaud Joseph

Abstract

Background: Mass incarceration has been a serious social problem in the United States with millions of people under the supervision of the criminal justice system. This problem is even more challenging for minority populations with African-Americans, Hispanics, and other minority racial groups experiencing harsher punishment than their non-minority counterparts. Previous research on this topic is limited in scope and methodology. Purpose: This study will fill a gap in the literature by comparing sentencing lengths among racial groups in the United States. It was hypothesized that racial minorities (African-American and Hispanic offenders will receive lengthier sentencing as compared to their counterparts in the dominant racial group (White). Methods: This study used a quantitative, cross sectional research design to test its hypothesis with a sample of 5,766 adult inmates drawn from the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates. Results: Regression analyses (simple linear regression and binary logistic regression) revealed statistically significantly lower sentencing length for White inmates compared to their non-White counterparts (B = -3.203, p< .001; OR = .613, p< .001, respectively). In other words, sentencing length was 3.2 points and  63.1% (1/.613) higher for non-White inmates as compared to their non-White counterparts.Therefore, the hypothesis in this study was supported. Implications: The findings of the study have implications for social work theory, research, and practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The findings also carry implications for criminal justice stakeholders, including judges, policymakers, lawyers, community leaders, prison officers, and social advocates to name a few.
Keywords: sentencing length, racial disparities, Survey of Prison Inmates, regression analysis, social work.

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