This study examined effects of having a minor child(ren) on the probability of being prosecuted, convicted, and if convicted, the sanctions that were imposed. Data were state-wide court and birth records of criminally-charged women in North Carolina, a state with sentencing guidelines. We hypothesized that (a) prosecutors would be less likely to prosecute and more likely to lower an offense class and (b) judges (when they had discretion) would be more lenient for women in sentencing with minor children than without. Having a minor child(ren) reduced the probability of prosecution; given prosecution, conviction rates fell. When the judge had discretion, having minor children reduced the probability of an active sentence. Having a minor child had no effect on minimum sentence length for women with active sentences. Presence of a minor child affects prosecutorial and judicial decisions affecting women charged with a criminal offense.

本研究调查了生育未成年子女对被起诉、定罪以及如果定罪的可能性的影响。数据是全州法院和北卡罗来纳州被刑事指控妇女的出生记录，该州制定了量刑指南。我们假设 (a) 检察官不太可能起诉，更有可能降低犯罪等级；(b) 法官（当他们有自由裁量权时）在判决有未成年子女的妇女时会比没有的妇女更宽容。有未成年子女降低了被起诉的可能性；鉴于起诉，定罪率下降。当法官有自由裁量权时，有未成年子女会降低主动判刑的可能性。对于有活跃句子的女性来说，有一个未成年的孩子对最短刑期没有影响。