Sentencing in the Netherlands Taking risk-related offender characteristics into account

Sentencing in the Netherlands

Taking risk-related offender characteristics into account

Cover Page

The handle http://hdl.handle.net/1887/28918 holds various files of this Leiden University dissertation

Author: Wingerden, Sigrid Geralde Clara van

Title: Sentencing in the Netherlands : taking risk-related offender characteristics into account

Issue Date: 2014-09-25

Sentencing in the Netherlands

Taking risk-related offender characteristics into account

PROEFSCHRIFT

ter verkrijging van

de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden,

op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof. mr. C.J.J.M. Stolker, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties

te verdedigen op donderdag 25 september 2014 klokke 15.00 uur

door

Sigrid Geralde Clara van Wingerden

geboren te Gouda in 1980

Promotiecommissie:

Promotor: prof. dr. mr. L.M. Moerings Co-promotor: dr. J.A. van Wilsem

Overige leden: dr. J.W. de Keijser prof. dr. P. Nieuwbeerta mr. dr. P.M. Schuyt

prof. dr. R. van Swaaningen (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam)

Lay-out: Anne-Marie Krens – Tekstbeeld – Oegstgeest ISBN 978 94 6236 479 0

© 2014 S.G.C. van Wingerden | Eleven International Publishing

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Aan mijn ouders

Table of contents

1 Introduction 1

2 Offender’s personal circumstances and punishment. Toward a more

refined model for the explanation of sentencing disparities 23 3 Pre-sentence reports and punishment. A quasi-experiment assessing the

effects of risk-based pre-sentence reports on sentencing 57 4 ‘Does he deserve another chance? Or have we had it with him?’ Judges

on the role of the risk of recidivism in sentencing 83 5 Sentencing homicide offenders in the Netherlands. Offender, victim, and

situational influences in criminal punishment 95

6 There’s more to sentencing than imprisonment. The effects of offender characteristics on multifarious sentencing outcomes 129

7 Summary and general discussion 151

Samenvatting en algemene discussie 173

Nawoord 197

Curriculum vitae 199

Detailed table of contents

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 The daily business of sentencing 1

1.2 Prior research 1

1.3 The relevance of sentencing research 3

1.4 Shifting sentencing goals: towards actuarial justice? 4

1.5 Research questions 6

1.6 Contributions to the existing sentencing literature 10

1.7 Outline of this book 12

1.8 References 17

2 OFFENDER’S PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND PUNISHMENT. TOWARD A

MORE REFINED MODEL FOR THE EXPLANATION OF SENTENCING DISPARITIES 23

2.1 Introduction 23

2.2 Understanding sentencing in the Netherlands: judges’

discretionary powers 25

2.3 Theoretical framework and prior research 26

2.3.1 A new direction for focal concerns theory 26 2.3.2 Demographic differences in sentencing and their origins 27

2.3.3 Theoretical expectations 30

2.4 Data and method 31

2.4.1 Dataset 31

2.4.2 Dependent variables 32

2.4.3 Independent variables 33

2.4.4 Methods 36

2.5 Results 37

2.5.1 Descriptive analyses 37

2.5.2 Offender characteristics 40

2.5.3 Offender’s personal circumstances 42

2.5.4 Change in effects of offender characteristics when

personal circumstances are included 44

2.6 Discussion 46

2.7 Conclusion 49

2.8 References 52

X Detailed table of contents

3 PRE-SENTENCE REPORTS AND PUNISHMENT. AQUASI-EXPERIMENT ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF RISK-BASED PRE-SENTENCE REPORTS ON SENTENCING 57

3.1 Introduction 57

3.2 From penal welfarism to actuarial justice: Changing tasks of

probation agencies 58

3.3 Pre-sentence reports in the Netherlands 59

3.4 Risk-based pre-sentence reports: Framing the person of the

offender 61

3.5 Data and method 63

3.5.1 Quasi-natural experiment 63

3.5.2 Dataset 64

3.5.3 Matching procedure 65

3.5.4 Balancing tests 69

3.5.5 Analytic approach 74

3.6 Results 74

3.6.1 Type of punishment 74

3.6.2 Sentence length 76

3.7 Discussion and conclusion 77

3.8 References 79

4 ‘DOES HE DESERVE ANOTHER CHANCE? OR HAVE WE HAD IT WITH HIM?’

JUDGES ON THE ROLE OF THE RISK OF RECIDIVISM IN SENTENCING 83

4.1 Introduction 83

4.2 The role of the risk of recidivism in sentencing in theory 85

4.3 Prior research 87

4.4 The role of the risk of recidivism according to the judges 88 4.4.1 Estimates of the role of the risk of recidivism 88 4.4.2 Influence of the risk of recidivism on sentencing 89

4.4.3 In pursuit of hope for the offender 89

4.4.4 Continuing the sentencing trend 90

4.5 Conclusion 91

4.6 References 93

5 SENTENCING HOMICIDE OFFENDERS IN THENETHERLANDS. OFFENDER,

VICTIM,AND SITUATIONAL INFLUENCES IN CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT 95

5.1 Introduction 95

5.2 Criminal justice in the United States and the Netherlands 97

5.3 Research on homicide sentencing 99

5.4 Theoretical perspectives on homicide sentencing 101

5.5 Theoretical expectations 102

5.6 Data and method 106

5.6.1 Dependent variables 107

5.6.2 Independent variables 108

5.7 Results 110

5.7.1 Descriptive analyses 110

Detailed table of contents XI

5.7.2 Multivariate analyses – main effects 114 5.7.3 Multivariate analyses – interaction effects 117

5.7.4 Explained variance 118

5.8 Discussion 119

5.9 Conclusion 123

5.10 References 124

6 THERE’S MORE TO SENTENCING THAN IMPRISONMENT. THE EFFECTS OF

OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS ON MULTIFARIOUS SENTENCING OUTCOMES 129

6.1 Introduction 129

6.2 Earlier sentencing studies 131

6.3 Method 134

6.4 Data 136

6.5 Results 138

6.5.1 Sentencing effects of offender characteristics on

incarceration and other sanctions 138

6.5.2 Sentencing effects of offender characteristics;

unsuspended prison sentences compared with the

totality of sanctions 141

6.6 Conclusion 142

6.7 Discussion 143

6.8 References 145

7 SUMMARY AND GENERAL DISCUSSION 151

7.1 Summary 151

7.1.1 Introduction 151

7.1.2 Effects of offender characteristics and the intermediating effects of risk-related offender circumstances 151 7.1.3 Effects of structured risk-based pre-sentence reports on

sentencing 152

7.1.4 Judges’ views on the risk of reoffending as a sentencing

determinant 154

7.1.5 Factors related to sentencing homicide offenders 155 7.1.6 Why sentencing research should consider alternative,

more complete measures of sentence severity 156

7.2 General discussion 158

7.2.1 Taking the offender’s characteristics and risk-related

social circumstances into account 158

7.2.2 Theoretical and practical implications 161 7.2.3 Methodological considerations and suggestions for

future research 165

7.3 References 168

XII Detailed table of contents

SAMENVATTING EN ALGEMENE DISCUSSIE 173

NAWOORD 197

CURRICULUM VITAE 199