Liberalism and Fear as Explanations of Punitiveness

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between liberalism, victimization experience (both direct and vicarious), fear of victimization, and attitudes towards purposes of incarceration. The study makes use of a national public opinion poll conducted for ABC News in 1982. The major findings are that both fear and liberalism contribute to punitiveness but, more importantly, individual demographic characteristics are ambiguously related to punitiveness. It appears that demographic characteristics are related to punitiveness through a complex of other attitudinal associations—in this instance, fear and liberalism. Neither direct nor vicarious victimization had a direct effect on punishment attitudes. To the extent that victimization experience affects punitiveness, the effects are indirect through fear.

Once a Criminal, Always a Criminal?: ‘Redeemability’ and the Psychology of Punitive Public Attitudes

“…This research suggests that punitive attitudes are largely unrelated to crime rates (Sears and Funk 1990) or fear of crime (Applegate 1997;Applegate et al 2000). Likewise, personal victimization experiences appear to be either weakly related with punitiveness (Cullen et al 1985;Langworthy and Whitehead 1986) or else unrelated (Applegate et al 2000;Evans and Adams 2003;King and Wheelock 2007;McCorkle 1993;Stack 2003;Taylor et al 1979;Unnever et al 2007). This is "especially the case in studies conducted in the U.K" (Viki and Wood 2004, p. 24; see e.g., Hough and Roberts 1998;Mattinson and Mirrlees-Black 2000a, b).…”

“…A varied group of researchers has taken up this challenge and established a strong connection between attributions and public views regarding penal practices (Cullen et al 1985;Grasmick and McGill 1994;Langworthy and Whitehead 1986;Sasson 1995).…”

How long does victimization foster fear of crime? A longitudinal study

“…Accordingly, abstract fear concerns the safety and well-being of the community or entire society, while concrete fear concerns the safety and wellbeing of the individual (Furstenberg, 1971). It is far from surprising that concrete fear has been studied much more than abstract fear, given its stronger links with daily life and its negative consequences, from the psychological (Perkins & Taylor, 1996), the behavioral (Liska, Sanchirico, & Reed, 1988;Miethe, 1995;Vacha & McLaughlin, 2004), and the social (Goodstein & Shotland, 1980;Langworthy & Whitehead, 1986;Oliver, Huxley, Bridges, & Mohamad, 1997;Pantazis, 2000;Perkins, Florin, Rich, Wandersman, & Chavis, 1990;Saegert & Winkel, 2004;Wilson, 1975) points of view. As a matter of fact, nearly nothing is known about the enduring link between victimization and abstract fear: The one study we are aware of, by Amerio and Roccato (2007), did not show any link between victimization and the 2002-2004 trend in abstract fear of crime.…”

Vigilantism, Current Racial Threat, and Death Sentences

“…Conservatives use such rationales to justify dubious claims that the threat of the death chamber will save many innocent victims from criminal violence. 4 But liberals believe that crime is caused by inequitable conditions (Garland 2001), so they are skeptical about harsh sanctions (Brillon 1988;Langworthy and Whitehead 1986). Capital punishment is likely to be legal in the most conservative states (Jacobs and Carmichael 2002 (Grasmick and McGill 1994;Grasmick et al 1992).…”