Offender Ratings of Correctional Sanctions: Direct and Indirect Variable Effects

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

A core assumption of deterrence is that people will engage in criminal behavior if they do not fear apprehension and punishment. Specific deterrence policies punish apprehended offenders to convince them not to commit future criminal behavior. It follows then that offenders must perceive their correctional sanction as punitive. Previous research has shown that offenders prefer prison over probation. However, past studies have not adequately accounted for direct and indirect effects of variables such as socioeconomic status, gender, family relationship quality and previous criminal history. Also, little is known about offender preferences for mandatory minimum sentences compared to indeterminate sentences that allow for early parole release. This research uses a sample of 426 adult men and women offenders drawn from a large urban jail to examine the extent to which gender, criminal history, economic marginality, and family variables (among other variables) are associated with a preference for incarceration over probation.

Author

• Leanne F. Alarid, University of Texas at El Paso