Nationality-by-Origin, Citizenship Status, and Judicial Decision-Making in Context: Exploring Intersectionality, Group-Threat, and Punishment

For decades, scholars have examined the causes and consequences of sentencing disparities in the criminal justice system. Recent research on sentencing has placed greater emphasis on examining the relationship between a defendant’s national origin and citizenship status on punishment outcomes. Criminologist Porche’ Okafor will examine how nationality and citizenship status influence sentencing disparities across macro-social contexts. She will analyze data from the Florida Department of Corrections, the American Community Survey, and the FBI’s 2010 Uniform Crime Report for her study.