Social Sources of Public Support for State Punitiveness: A Multi-National Study of Rival Models

• In Event: Perceptions of Crime and Punishment in an International Context

Abstract

Using data from the 23-nation Latin American Population Survey (LAPOP) from 2012 (N = 37,139), the proposed study assesses public support for the state use of power to control crime. The study attempts to make three contributions to the existing public punitiveness literature. First, to assess whether the sources of punitiveness vary across types of state actions to maintain order, three dependent variables are included: support for (1) punishing criminals more harshly, (2) using force outside the law, and (3) instituting a military government. Second, the study demarcates and tests three rival models of public attitudes: (1) the collective efficacy model, (2) the insecurity model, and (3) the legal cynicism model. Third, the study examines these issues in a cross-national, multi-level study. The results are intended to illuminate the sources of public opinion about state control of crime and its implications for sustaining a vital democratic system in Latin American nations.

Authors

• Cecilia Chouhy, University of Cincinnati

• Francis T. Cullen, University of Cincinnati

• James Unnever, University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee