NCJ Number
227246
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 15 Issue: 1-2 Dated: 2009 Pages: 7-24
Date Published
2009
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study explored punitive public attitudes to attribution style and/or lay theories of crime.
Abstract
Results found that those who believe criminal acts are the results of freely chosen and willful behavior are more likely to be punitive than those who feel crime is the result of external circumstances and constraints. The analysis highlights the potential explanatory power of the construct of "belief in redeemability" in understanding punitive attitudes. If members of the public believe that little or nothing can be done to modify criminality, once it sets in, then it makes perfect sense to support incapacitative practices that would separate individuals who were so determined from the rest of society. Likewise, a strong belief in the redeemability of offenders may be one of the best rationales against locking up offenders and throwing away the key. Data were collected from 941 British households as part of the Cambridge University Public Opinion Project (CUPOP). Tables and references