Rocking the Boat: Lessons from a Study of the Federal Sentencing of Maritime Drug Traffickers

Abstract This article reflects on the methodological approach adopted by McSweeney et al. in their study of the federal sentencing of maritime narcotics traffickers. It compares the authors’ data collection and analytic strategies with conventional approaches to sentencing research, which typically use data from sentencing commissions. Three distinctions between the respective approaches are emphasized: sampling on arrest versus conviction; the inclusion (or not) of identifying information about judges and prosecutors; and the analysis of court characteristics. McSweeney et al.’s data collection strategy overcomes some stubborn issues in sentencing research, such as sampling on conviction offense and the omission of judge-identifying information. Their strategy, which is more labor intensive, can serve as a primer for researchers concerned with sample selection and related challenges.