NCJ Number
228458
Journal
International Criminal Justice Review Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2009 Pages: 322-343
Date Published
September 2009
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study examined the alleged gender gap in punitiveness in the countries of Georgia and the United States.
Abstract
Results showed no striking difference between men and women in their composite, overall attitudes toward offenders; however, it signaled the different ways in which men and women were punitive. By using the same questionnaire in two very different countries, this study suggests that the previous inconsistent findings about the existence or absence of a gender gap, as well as about the increased punitiveness among women or men, might actually be attributable to the type of questions asked, particularly because the disparity and similarities between women and men were nearly identical in the United States and Georgian study samples. Exploring gender differences in punitiveness is useful because it could have an impact on future criminal justice policymaking. In this study, the use of a variety of question types and contexts to assess punitiveness was expected to help illuminate the source of previously contradictory findings for gender. The study explored the recognized female-male gap in punitiveness using the same multi-item measure of individual punitiveness with two different samples, one selected in the country of Georgia and the second in the New York metropolitan area, New York City. A total of 414 individuals participated in the study. Punitiveness was assessed in the United States and Georgia, with two nonprobability samples of the general population 18 years and older. Tables, appendix, and references