The Public's Acceptance of Restitution as a Sentencing Alternative in the United States and New Zealand

Victim Compensation Policy and White‐Collar Crime

“…In studying how the public tends to view victim compensation for crimes, scholars have been primarily concerned with public acceptance for restitution , or the financial payment to victims by offenders , as a punishment alternative. Researchers have generally found broad public support for financial over carceral sanctions, both in the United States (e.g., Bae, , ; Doble, ; Doble and Klein, ; Knowles, ; Umbreit, ) and internationally (e.g., Boer and Sessar, ; Doob and Roberts, ; Galaway, , ). A general gap in this literature concerns how the public views victim compensation provided through government programs, rather than as part of an offender's sentence, as a policy option.…”