Drápal, J and Pina Sanchez, J orcid.org/0000-0002-9416-6022 (2022) What is the Value of Judicial Experience? Exploring Judge Trajectories Using Longitudinal Data. Justice Quarterly. ISSN 0741-8825
Abstract
Judicial experience is considered essential for the proper functioning of the sentencing system. We investigate how it influences judicial decisions and its role in reducing sentencing disparity. To do so, we analyze all Czech criminal decisions imposed in 2007–2017 using data that includes judge identifiers. This unique feature of our data enables us to measure judges’ experience directly, as the number of criminal cases processed, and to assess patterns in between-judge disparities longitudinally over the course of judges’ careers. We find that experienced judges impose more prison sentences, decide fewer cases via shortened procedure and find fewer defendants guilty. In addition, as judges become more experienced, between-judge disparities reduce across all the outcomes considered. Experience is thus an instrumental factor affecting judicial decisions throughout the criminal process, and one that contributes to greater consistency.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. This is an author produced version of an article, published in Justice Quarterly. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Sentencing; disparities; longitudinal; judicial experience; Czech Republic |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Law (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 13 Jan 2022 11:16 |
Last Modified: | 15 Oct 2023 00:13 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Routledge |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:182204 |
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Licence: CC-BY-NC 4.0