The Effects of Anxiety on Pretrial Punitiveness: A National Survey Experiment

• In Event: Health Criminology: Pretrial Health

Abstract

In an era of policy experimentation around criminal legal reform and abolition, pretrial detention has been particularly contested. Levels of emotional and mental health can shape pretrial detention policy moods, especially during public-health focusing events like the COVID-19 pandemic and other stressors that heighten mental distress and anxiety. In this study, a national survey experiment was conducted to assess the relationship between elevated anxiety and support for pretrial release. Further, the study examines how these relationships are conditioned by both individual factors and structural processes. By exploring the under-examined impacts of mental health factors on pretrial decision-making, this study contributes insights into the dynamics of penal policy reform and the potential for sustained change.

Authors

• Christopher Thomas, Rutgers University

• Catherine M. Heitz, Rutgers University - Camden