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The dearth of research on the relationship between a defendant's race and the severity of sanction in misdemeanor cases is concerning, given that these cases comprise the majority of criminal cases in the U.S. The extant literature on the subject is mixed. Some studies find a noteworthy relationship between race and severity of punishment, while others report that the association is weak or in the opposite direction of what would be expected based on racial bias. It is important to study this issue further, as the consequences of a misdemeanor arrest and conviction can be significant and can have adverse consequences for an individual in society. This study contributes to the literature by creating an ordinal scale ranging from low to high severity to measure the different types of punishments typically imposed on misdemeanor defendants. The data on misdemeanor defendants were obtained from the case management system of the prosecutor's office from three counties in a large Florida jurisdiction. Results show that the odds of receiving a less severe sanction are 24.5% higher for Black than White misdemeanor defendants. However, while Black defendants are sanctioned more leniently overall, they are less likely than Whites defendants to be convicted and more likely to receive a no-sanction outcome for their misdemeanor crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the impact of Florida's repeal of its mandatory motorcycle helmet-use law, effective July 1, 2000. Objective of the law; Comparison of mean changes between preintervention and postintervention periods for serious injury and fatality rate series; Maximum-likelihood coefficients for the motorcycle serious injury.

Develops composite measures on substance abuse treatment needed among adults in Florida. Presentation of an empirical component of community planning; Determination of the level of need for the substance abuse treatment of community residents; Benefits of the methodology in the allocation of finite substance abuse treatment resources.

Presents information on a study conducted on whether there is an increase in the jail capacity in Orange County, Florida. Background information on this study; How is this study carried out; Results of the study.