Anger about crime and support for punitive criminal justice policies

Abstract

Previous research on the sources of punitive attitudes has largely focused on the cognitive and demographic factors associated with the desire to punish criminals harshly. This study focuses on the link between affect and punitiveness by examining the relationship between anger about crime and support for punitive criminal penalties. Using national survey data from the USA, this research shows that anger about crime is a significant predictor of punitive attitudes, after controlling for other factors such as racial prejudice, fear of crime, causal attributions for criminal behavior, and political ideology. The findings indicate the need for more research on the relationship between emotions and punitiveness.

How fear of crime affects punitive attitudes

“…This study tests the assumption that both types are associated with punitivity in different ways. Furthermore, Johnson (2009) showed that anger over crime works in a different way than fear of crime in predicting individuals' level of punitivity.…”

“…Several studies use different indicator variables to build a measurement index (Chiricos et al 2004: 369;Hartnagel and Templeton 2012: 460;Hogan et al 2005: 399;Hirtenlehner 2011: 37;Johnson 2009;Kury and Obergfell-Fuchs 2008: 242;Windzio et al 2007: 45, Hough et al 2013. However, few studies investigate whether the response to a series of opinion questions on criminal policy really originates from a common underlying conviction (punitivity), and most of them are based on data from surveys in the US (Mascini andHoutman 2006, Pickett andBaker 2014).…”

“…Following Johnson (2009) who demonstrated that anger about crime is a robust predictor of punitivity this article seeks to clarify how fear and anger operate together in the formation of punitive attitudes.…”

“…Studies therefore focused on alternative explanations for punitivity, such as justifications for sentencing (Payne et al 2004), fear (Dowler 2003) and anger (Johnson 2009) about crime. Building on the results of previous research into fear of crime and punitivity this study investigates how different cognitive and emotional experiences of crime are linked to punitive attitudes, and how these links vary depending on other known predictors of punitivity such as gender, age, education, and assumed purposes for sentencing.…”

Authority and Punishment: On the Ideological Basis of Punitive Attitudes towards Criminals

“…The liberal political left, on the other hand, thinks that the causes of crime can be found in structural economical inequalities and problems of discrimination; the solution lies in reforming the system and rehabilitating offenders. Support for harsh sentencing of criminals thus seems to be a right-wing phenomenon: conservatives tend to be more punitive towards offenders than liberals (Carroll et al, 1987;Hogan et al, 2005;Johnson, 2009;King & Maruna, 2009;Miller, 1973;Tetlock et al, 2007;Tyler & Boeckmann, 1997).…”