DECISION-MAKING IN COURT - OBSERVING THE SENTENCING OF MEN AND WOMEN

Using systematic observation together with an analysis of the relevant court and criminal records this research examined the processing and sentencing of a small number of male and female defendants in an Engli sh magistrates' court. The findings indicate that sentencing was indir ectly affected by a defendant's sex and directly affected by at least one aspect of a defendant's demeanour. These results provide support f or the view that combining systematic observation with an analysis of court records offers a more effective means of investigating the diffe rential treatment of male and female defendants than either unsystemat ic observational studies or the analysis of court records alone.