CORRELATES OF PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD LEGAL SANCTIONS

• NCJ Number: 17334
• Author(s): C W THOMAS; R J CAGE
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 30 pages
• Grant Number(s): 73-NI-03-0002
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PAPER PRESENTED TO THE WESTERN SOCIOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, BANFF, DECEMBER 29, 1974

Annotation

PAPER WHICH EXPLORES THE EXTENT TO WHICH VARIABLES IDENTIFIED AS USEFUL PREDICTORS OF PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT MIGHT ALSO EXPLAIN VARIATIONS IN THE SEVERITY OF SENTENCING PREFERENCES OF PRIVATE CITIZENS.

Abstract

THE AVERAGE SENTENCES ASSIGNED TO A SET OF SEVENTEEN SEPARATE OFFENSES WERE EMPLOYED TO CREATE A SEVERITY OF SENTENCING MEASURE WHICH WAS THEN CORRELATED WITH PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME RATES, FEAR OF VICTIMIZATION, WILLINGNESS TO EMPLOY PUNISHMENT AS A RESPONSE TO CRIMINALITY, AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PUNISHMENT AS A MEANS OF DETERRENCE. ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE PREDICTOR VARIABLES ARE CORRELATES OF SEVERITY OF SENTENCING PATTERNS, THAT THE LEVELS OF ASSOCIATION NOTED DO NOT SEEM TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED WHEN RELEVANT SOCIAL BACKGROUND AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ARE HELD CONSTANT, AND THAT THE MEASURES OF ATTITUDES TOWARD PUNISHMENT FARE BETTER AS PREDICTORS OF SENTENCING PATTERNS THAN DO THOSE DESIGNED TO QUANTIFY THE RESPONDENTS' EVALUATIONS OF THE PROBLEM PRESENTED BY CRIMINALITY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)