Crime &Delinquency, Ahead of Print.
In the 1990s, the United States Attorneys’ Offices implemented programs to make sentencing for immigration offenses more efficient by designating a number of “Fast-Track” districts. In 2012, these programs were expanded to all federal districts. Using data from multiple sources including federal sentencing data from 2015 to 2016 and community-level variables from the American Community Survey, this study examines how individual and district-level characteristics affect receipt and magnitude of early disposition departures. Findings suggest Hispanic population, Republican Control, and original fast-track district predict early disposition departure receipt and sentence length. District-level characteristics can influence when and how these departures are used.