Rising punitivity in times of economic crisis? Assessing the relationship between the economic situation and the longing for harsher sanctioning

Abstract

This paper analyses if the economic situation is related to punitivity, that is, if adverse of economic patterns go along with a longing for harsher sanctions in the population. Several scholars have postulated that increased economic insecurities and anxieties may lead to the preference for harsher sanctioning. Empirical research, however, could not confirm the link between individual economic conditions and punitivity. We therefore introduce the concept of relative deprivation as mechanism between the economic situation and punitivity. Database is a nationwide representative survey (N = 3,073) with a multilevel design that allows to differentiate between the individual and the county level conditions. Our analyses confirmed the impact of the regional economic situation on punitivity. The objective individual situation, however, has no influence on punitivity, when we control for relative deprivation and education. Additionally, we find a significant impact of relative deprivation on punitivity. Relative deprivation itself is dependent on the individual economic situation as well as on the county level economic conditions. ARTICLE HISTORY

Convicting the Innocent or Freeing the Guilty? Public Attitudes Toward Criminal Justice Errors

“…The study by King and Wheelock (2007) show that individuals residing in areas with higher unemployment rates are more punitive. Using data from a Germany national survey, Hanslmaier and Baier (2016) find that the regional unemployment rate has a direct impact on the longing for harsher sanctioning, while individual economic situation does not influence punitivity.…”