Sentencing Ranges and Quantified Seriousness

Last registered on February 24, 2020

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Sentencing Ranges and Quantified Seriousness

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0005466

Initial registration date

February 21, 2020

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

February 24, 2020, 9:38 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country

Czechia

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Michal Šoltés

Affiliation

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

PI Affiliation

PI Name

PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2020-02-24

End date

2020-05-31

Keywords

Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Governance

Additional Keywords

sentencing, prosecutors

JEL code(s)

K14

Secondary IDs

Abstract

Many criminal codes restrict judicial discretion in imposing prison sentences within sentencing ranges. Depending on whether the seriousness of the criminal activity e.g., the amount of drugs possessed, exceeds a threshold, two almost identical cases may fall in different sentencing ranges. We study the role of sentencing ranges on sentencing decisions and propose two mechanisms that affect sentencing decisions and that work in opposing directions around the threshold: (i) the severity effect and (ii) the reference case effect. The overall sentencing pattern depends on the relative strength of these two mechanisms. To test for the presence and the strength of the mechanisms, we propose an experiment with law students. Specifically, we intend to provide students with vignettes of illustrative criminal cases in which we exogenously vary the seriousness of the criminal activity, the sentencing ranges, and the values of thresholds and then collect their suggested sentences.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Drápal, Jakub, Josef Montag and Michal Šoltés. 2020. "Sentencing Ranges and Quantified Seriousness." AEA RCT Registry. February 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5466-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date

2020-02-24

Intervention End Date

2020-03-02

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

length of prison sentences

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We design an online survey experiment, in which we intend to provide students with vignettes of illustrative criminal cases in which we exogenously vary the seriousness of the criminal activity, the sentencing ranges, and the values of thresholds. We then collect their suggested sentences.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization done by a computer: https://www.soscisurvey.de/.

Randomization Unit

Individuals (students).

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

Approximately 3000 students invited, the response rate is unknown prior to the experiment.

Sample size: planned number of observations

Approximately 3000 students invited, the response rate is unknown prior to the experiment.

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

The experiment consists of two different criminal cases, which also differ in the number of treatment arms. In the first criminal case, there will be ca. 500 students invited per a treatment arm; while for the other case there will ca. 375 students invited per a treatment arm

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB