Public Opinion on Rehabilitation and Punishment: The Interaction of Offenders’ Demographics and Pragmatic Considerations

• In Event: Views on Rehabilitation and Punishment

Abstract

Although there is evidence that the public is in favor of both rehabilitation and punitive sentences, research shows that people’s views vary relative to personal characteristics of the offender. For example, some studies revealed that the public is more likely to support rehabilitation for female offenders than for male offenders. Other studies showed that the public is more punitive towards minority offenders. However, it is not clear whether this divergence in people’s views is contingent upon ideological or practical concerns such as cost, ease of management, and recidivism. Using randomized factorial vignettes, the current study seeks to fill the gap in the literature by testing interactions between the offenders’ gender and minority status and these practical considerations and by examining their effect on public support for rehabilitation and punitive prison conditions.

Authors

• Mateja Vuk, University of South Carolina

• Brandon Applegate, University of South Carolina

• Heather Ouellette, University of South Carolina

• Riane M. Bolin, Radford University

• Eva Aizpurúa, University of Castilla La Mancha