Jeffery T. Ulmer is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University.

• List of Tables Preface 1. Courts, Sentencing, and Sentencing Guidelines Research on Courts and Sentencing2. Court Communities as Social Worlds Processual Order/Social Worlds TheoryCourt Communities as Social WorldsCentral Research Questions3. Data and Analytical Strategy Statistical DataStatistical Data LimitationsEthnographic DataEthnographic Data Limitations4. Statewide Sentencing Outcomes Main Effects ModelsInteraction Effects ModelsSummary5. Metro County Statistical Analysis of Conviction and Sentencing OutcomesEthnographic AnalysisSummary6. Rich County Statistical AnalysisEthnographic AnalysisSummary7. Southwest County Statistical AnalysisEthnographic AnalysisSummary8. Conclusion: Court Communities and Sentencing under Guidelines Statewide Sentencing under GuidelinesCase Processing and Sentencing in Three Court CommunitiesSentencing Guidelines: Possibilities, Limitations, and DilemmasBroader Sociological IssuesAppendix A: Pennsylvania Sentencing Guidelines Appendix B: Examples of Interview Questions by Topic Appendix C: Descriptive Statistics: Variables in State-wide Analysis Notes References Index

"This book certainly stands out from most criminological studies in its evocation of broader sociological issues. Situating the book in the tradition of Eisenstein's work on courtroom culture and bringing in social interactionism and the social worlds/processual order approach enable this volume to appeal to a wider readership and significantly enhance the usefulness and intellectual appeal of the author's high-quality quantitative analysis." — Lynne Goodstein, Pennsylvania State University Crime, Law, and Justice Program"This study takes research on sentencing to the next level by using current data and sophisticated statistical techniques and by incorporating statistical analysis of sentence outcomes with ethnographic data on court communities. The findings of the study —especially the findings that extralegal as well as legal variables influence sentence severity even under sentencing guidelines—have important policy implications." — Cassia C. Spohn, Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Jeffery T. Ulmer is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University.

• List of Tables Preface 1. Courts, Sentencing, and Sentencing Guidelines Research on Courts and Sentencing2. Court Communities as Social Worlds Processual Order/Social Worlds TheoryCourt Communities as Social WorldsCentral Research Questions3. Data and Analytical Strategy Statistical DataStatistical Data LimitationsEthnographic DataEthnographic Data Limitations4. Statewide Sentencing Outcomes Main Effects ModelsInteraction Effects ModelsSummary5. Metro County Statistical Analysis of Conviction and Sentencing OutcomesEthnographic AnalysisSummary6. Rich County Statistical AnalysisEthnographic AnalysisSummary7. Southwest County Statistical AnalysisEthnographic AnalysisSummary8. Conclusion: Court Communities and Sentencing under Guidelines Statewide Sentencing under GuidelinesCase Processing and Sentencing in Three Court CommunitiesSentencing Guidelines: Possibilities, Limitations, and DilemmasBroader Sociological IssuesAppendix A: Pennsylvania Sentencing Guidelines Appendix B: Examples of Interview Questions by Topic Appendix C: Descriptive Statistics: Variables in State-wide Analysis Notes References Index

"This book certainly stands out from most criminological studies in its evocation of broader sociological issues. Situating the book in the tradition of Eisenstein's work on courtroom culture and bringing in social interactionism and the social worlds/processual order approach enable this volume to appeal to a wider readership and significantly enhance the usefulness and intellectual appeal of the author's high-quality quantitative analysis." — Lynne Goodstein, Pennsylvania State University Crime, Law, and Justice Program"This study takes research on sentencing to the next level by using current data and sophisticated statistical techniques and by incorporating statistical analysis of sentence outcomes with ethnographic data on court communities. The findings of the study —especially the findings that extralegal as well as legal variables influence sentence severity even under sentencing guidelines—have important policy implications." — Cassia C. Spohn, Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Jeffery T. Ulmer is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Purdue University.

• List of Tables Preface 1. Courts, Sentencing, and Sentencing Guidelines Research on Courts and Sentencing2. Court Communities as Social Worlds Processual Order/Social Worlds TheoryCourt Communities as Social WorldsCentral Research Questions3. Data and Analytical Strategy Statistical DataStatistical Data LimitationsEthnographic DataEthnographic Data Limitations4. Statewide Sentencing Outcomes Main Effects ModelsInteraction Effects ModelsSummary5. Metro County Statistical Analysis of Conviction and Sentencing OutcomesEthnographic AnalysisSummary6. Rich County Statistical AnalysisEthnographic AnalysisSummary7. Southwest County Statistical AnalysisEthnographic AnalysisSummary8. Conclusion: Court Communities and Sentencing under Guidelines Statewide Sentencing under GuidelinesCase Processing and Sentencing in Three Court CommunitiesSentencing Guidelines: Possibilities, Limitations, and DilemmasBroader Sociological IssuesAppendix A: Pennsylvania Sentencing Guidelines Appendix B: Examples of Interview Questions by Topic Appendix C: Descriptive Statistics: Variables in State-wide Analysis Notes References Index

"This book certainly stands out from most criminological studies in its evocation of broader sociological issues. Situating the book in the tradition of Eisenstein's work on courtroom culture and bringing in social interactionism and the social worlds/processual order approach enable this volume to appeal to a wider readership and significantly enhance the usefulness and intellectual appeal of the author's high-quality quantitative analysis." — Lynne Goodstein, Pennsylvania State University Crime, Law, and Justice Program"This study takes research on sentencing to the next level by using current data and sophisticated statistical techniques and by incorporating statistical analysis of sentence outcomes with ethnographic data on court communities. The findings of the study —especially the findings that extralegal as well as legal variables influence sentence severity even under sentencing guidelines—have important policy implications." — Cassia C. Spohn, Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska at Omaha