For example, if a woman molests a child, she will generally receive a lesser sentence than a man would receive. According to Kanowitz of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, “Women have historically been treated differently because of their sex, often to their advantage. The female offender [tends] to receive significantly different treatment from the police, courts, and correctional institutions” (1969). It appears that some magistrates or judges treat behavior and criminal history differently depending on the person's gender. On average, men receive harsher sentences than women. Another study by Sonja Starr, an assistant law professor at the University of Michigan, found that "men receive significantly harsher sentences than women convicted of the same crimes in federal courts." Men receive sentences 63 percent higher, on average, than their female counterparts. Women arrested for a crime are also significantly more likely to avoid charges and convictions altogether, and twice as likely to avoid incarceration if convicted (2012). Men constitute the majority of the prison population and their incarceration rate is higher than that of women for the many reasons mentioned..