NCJ Number
222713
Journal
International Criminal Justice Review Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2008 Pages: 24-38
Date Published
March 2008
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Using survey data from 524 college students at a Chinese university, this study examined their support for China's death penalty and factors that influenced their opinions.
Abstract
This study as well as previous studies showed strong support for China's death penalty. Approximately 70 percent of the surveyed students supported the death penalty. Deterrence for potential offenders and retribution for convicted offenders were the main reasons for supporting the death penalty. In explaining capital punishment as an irreversible and nonreformative practice in a society that emphasizes the essential goodness of humans and the ability of individuals to change their attitudes and behavior, the authors suggest that Chinese distinguish between the majority of people and a minority that is incapable of changing their criminal behavior under any circumstances. Further, respondents' strong belief in capital punishment as a deterrent may be based in the view that it is essential to show the masses the serious consequences of not adapting one's behavior to normative standards of Chinese society. Study data were obtained from 524 college students in March 2005 at a large Chinese university. Respondents represented all university class levels and more than 100 major courses of study. The dependent variable was support for the death penalty. The four major independent variables measured the following reasons for supporting the death penalty: deterrence, retribution, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. 1 table, 35 references, and appended variable descriptions and descriptive statistics of variables used in the regression analysis