Exploring Gender Bias in Homicide Sentencing: An Empirical Study of Russian Court Decisions Using Text Mining

Abstract

This study explores the role of gender in sentencing in Russian homicide cases, particularly the “female discount” phenomenon. We use regression analysis on a dataset of 20531 court decisions acquired via text mining techniques. Our research indicates that female defendants in Russia tend to receive more lenient sentences than their male counterparts do. Crimes against intimate partners and family members result in more lenient sentences than those against nonrelatives and strangers. The gender of the judge does not significantly influence the sentencing of female offenders; however, male judges are generally tougher on male defendants. The findings show that the “social costs theory” functions differently for male and female offenders.