MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Eval Rev. 2010 Jun;34(3):185-219. doi: 10.1177/0193841X10369624.
The determinants of sentencing are of much interest in criminal justice and legal research. Understanding the determinants of sentencing decisions is important for ensuring transparent, consistent, and justifiable sentencing practice that adheres to the goals of sentencing, such as the punishment, rehabilitation, deterrence, and incapacitation of the offender, as well as reparation for the victim. It is important to frame research questions on sentencing that can feasibly be answered by appropriate research methods, within the constraints of limited time and resources. For illustration, this article presents three methodological approaches for investigating the factors that may influence sentencing decisions: multilevel analysis using existing sentencing data; sampling of, and data collection from, sentenced court case files; and experimental designs involving sentencers deciding on hypothetical cases. The strengths and weaknesses of each approach are compared and discussed.
量刑的决定因素在刑事司法和法律研究中备受关注。了解量刑决定的决定因素对于确保量刑实践具有透明度、一致性和合理性至关重要，这种实践符合量刑的目标，例如惩罚、改造、威慑和使罪犯丧失能力，以及对受害者进行赔偿。重要的是，要提出能够通过适当的研究方法在有限的时间和资源限制内回答的量刑研究问题。例如，本文提出了三种研究方法来调查可能影响量刑决定的因素：使用现有量刑数据进行多层次分析；对判刑案件档案进行抽样和数据收集；以及涉及判刑者对假设案件做出决定的实验设计。比较并讨论了每种方法的优缺点。
