The Role of Moral Panic in Predicting U.S. Public Support for Punitive Drug Sentencing

• In Event: Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Lay Support for Criminal Sentencing Outcomes

Abstract

The U.S. sentencing response to drug offenses has often been considered as a potential moral panic, with drug offenders painted as prime examples of the “folk devil” in American culture. Moral panic has been viewed as a potential underlying reason for why many members of the public still support punitive drug sentencing, even though they have had little effects on increasing public safety and public health. Previous studies have shown that dimensions of moral panic significantly predict public support for other ineffective policies, such as particular sex offender laws. This study, utilizing a sample of U.S. public from Qualtrics Panel, uses a randomized experiment to examine the extent to which the public expresses moral panic toward different types of drug offenders and how this panic may lead to support for punitive drug sentencing. Results show that participants’ ratings on moral panic and support for punitive sentencing policies significantly differed due to the type of drug offense, with support for punitive sentencing increasing as a function of their feelings of moral panic toward some types of drug offenders. This work provides data that begin to illuminate how to best promote public support for evidence-based drug sentencing laws in emerging reform efforts.

Author

• Colleen Berryessa, Rutgers University