PERCEPTION OF CRIME - A STUDY OF THE SELLIN-WOLFGANG SERIOUSNESS INDEX

• NCJ Number: 25601
• Author(s): M RIEDEL
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 297 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DISSERTATION - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Annotation

A STUDY SUPPORTING THE ORIGINAL FORMULATION OF SELLIN AND WOLFGANG: THAT CRIMES CAN BE RELIABLY RATED AS TO THEIR SERIOUSNESS BY SPECIFYING THE AMOUNT OF INJURY, THEFT, AND DAMAGE CHARACTERIZING THE EVENT.

Abstract

THE PRESENT STUDY POSTULATED THAT SERIOUSNESS SCORES WERE PRIMARILY A COGNITIVE VARIABLE AND COULD BE MODIFIED BY EXPERIMENTALLY ALTERING BELIEFS WHICH SUBJECTS HELD ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE OFFENSES. TO TEST THIS, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO RANK 6 OFFENSES ACCORDING TO SERIOUSNESS, WHILE BACKGROUND INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, PERSONAL DISPOSITIONS OF THE OFFENDER, AND RACE OF OFFENDER AND VICTIM WAS VARIED. ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONSES FAILED TO SUPPORT THE STUDY'S POSTULATE. ALL OF THE COMPARISONS OF SERIOUSNESS SCORES AMONG BACKGROUND VARIABLES INDICATED THAT THE SELLIN-WOLFGANG INDEX MET THE MINIMAL CRITERION OF SCALING AS WELL AS SHOWING NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG GROUPS. CONSENSUS AMONG RESPONDENTS WAS GREATEST FOR THEFT AND DAMAGE OFFENSES AND LEAST FOR INJURY OFFENSES. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT RELEVANT TO EVALUATION, CRIMES ARE ACTS WHOSE ANTECEDENTS ARE NOT SO IMPORTANT AS THEIR CONSEQUENCES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)