\\server05\productn\C\CRY\46-3\CRY308.txt unknown Seq: 1 7-AUG-08 13:08 THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF GUIDELINES CIRCUMVENTION: THE CASE OF FEDERAL DISTRICT COURTS*

context, multilevel analysis Recent scholarship on criminal punishments increasingly highlights the importance of courtroom social contexts. Combining recent data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission (FY1997–2000) with aggregate data on federal districts, the current study examines interdistrict varia-tions in the application of downward departures from the federal sen-tencing guidelines. Findings indicate that substantial variation exists in the probability of both prosecutor-initiated substantial assistance departures and judge-initiated downward departures. This variation is accounted for, in part, by organizational court contexts, such as caseload pressures, and by environmental considerations, such as the racial composition of the district. Additional evidence suggests that * This research was supported in part by Grant SES – 0111774 from the National Science Foundation. The views expressed herein are solely the authors. The authors would like to thank James Eisenstein for his essential role in this research, and they would also like to acknowledge the helpful comments o