Political Culture and Felony Sentencing: An Examination of Trial Courts in 300 Counties

• NCJ Number: 174949
• Journal: Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: 1997 Pages: 343-364
• Author(s): D Bowers
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Three hundred counties in 49 States and the District of Columbia were classified in terms of the prevailing political culture, using Daniel Elazar's typology of political culture in the United States, because criminal sentencing is such a basic power of government that variations in its use can be linked to political culture.

Abstract

Elazar identified three political cultures. Traditionalistic political cultures featured rule by an elite and minimal involvement of the people. Individualistic political cultures featured politics oriented toward personal gain. Moralistic political cultures involved the government trying to build the good society; individuals were expected to participate as part of their civic duty. The study's dependent variables were incarceration rates and average sentences. Results of the bivariate analysis revealed that traditionalistic political cultures administered harsher sentences; moralistic political cultures incarcerated a higher percentage of individuals, particularly in jails. Results of the multivariate analysis revealed that many attributes closely related to political culture, including conservatism, income distribution, and the overall crime rate, helped explain sentencing variations. However, political culture was significant only for larceny, and the results paralleled those of the bivariate analysis. Findings indicated that although political culture as measured by Elazar may not explain sentencing the counties, variables closely related to political culture can aid understanding of sentencing. Findings also suggested the need for new ways to conceptualize political culture and the need for criminal justice practitioners to be aware of the political culture in which they work. Findings also indicated that attempts to nationalize criminal justice policy may result in increased conflict and distrust of government and politicians. Tables, notes, and 29 references (Author abstract modified)