P031 - Evaluating Attitudes Towards Punishment and Rehabilitation in the Criminal Justice System: Implications for Reintegration and Intervention Practices

• In Event: Poster Session & Ice Cream Social

Abstract

The balance between punitive and rehabilitative approaches within the function of the Criminal Justice System has long sparked debate within both legal and societal spheres. Indeed, the complete reintegration of detainees depends on both the actual function of the prison from a legal standpoint and the attitudes of individual members of society with whom the detainee will interact outside the prison. From this perspective, the role of symbolic knowledge in shaping perceptions and behaviors is crucial. According to social constructionism, when we are distant from a reality, symbolic knowledge, or the society representation, tends to replace direct knowledge, becoming the primary source of information (Surette, 2015). Therefore, this study aims to explore attitudes toward punishment or rehabilitation function of the prison among individuals with and without direct knowledge of the inmates. Through the Rehabilitation Orientation Scale, the research analyzed the relationship between these attitudes and several bio-psycho-social variables, including right-wing authoritarianism, beliefs about emotion controllability, emotional intelligence, moral disengagement, and general attitudes towards prisoners. Attitudes toward inmates’ rehabilitation may affect the outcome of treatment. Therefore, understanding these perspectives can inform public policy and intervention practices within the penal system, promoting awareness both inside and outside correctional institutions by decreasing the culturally conditioned, instinctive response to crime.

Authors

• Cricenti Clarissa, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome.

• Cricenti Clarissa, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome.

• Giulia Lausi, Faculty of Law, Vilnius University

• Benedetta Barchielli, Department of Dynamic, Clinical Psychology and Health, “Sapienza” University of Rome.

• Alessandro Quaglieri, Universitas Mercatorum

• Emanuela Mari, Sapienza, University of Rome

• Jessica Burrai, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome

• Ginevra Tagliaferri, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome

• Giannini Anna Maria, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome.