In a study of Canadian provincial court judges by Palys and Divorski (1986),each judge participant was provided with 5 different criminal cases (and surrounding information).The judges were asked impose a sentence for each offender and indicate what facts they considered relevant in their decision-making (i.e.,legal objectives,case facts,and demographic information).What component of the judge's decision-making was the most important predictor of sentencing severity?

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The study found that judges' differential weighting of legal objectives was the most important predictor of sentencing severity. This means that judges who placed more emphasis on certain legal objectives (such as retribution or deterrence) were more likely to impose harsher sentences. The other factors listed (over-consideration of defendant race, selective attention to facts, inconsistent case facts, and gender-crime type interactions) were not found to be the most important predictor in this study.

In a Study of Canadian Provincial Court Judges by Palys