Title

Public opinion about punishment and corrections

Authors

Authors

F. T. Cullen; B. S. Fisher;B. K. Applegate

Comments

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Keywords

DEATH-PENALTY ATTITUDES; CHILD SAVING DEAD; CAPITAL-PUNISHMENT; JUVENILE; REHABILITATION; INTERMEDIATE SANCTIONS; COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS; UNITED-STATES; SUPPORT; JUSTICE; CRIME; Criminology & Penology

Abstract

"Get tough" control policies in the United States are often portrayed as the reflection of the public's will: Americans are punitive -and want offenders locked up. Research from the past decade both reinforces and challenges this assessment. The public clearly accepts, if not prefers, a range of punitive policies (e.g., capital punishment, three-strikes-and-you're-out laws, imprisonment). But support for get-tough policies is "mushy." Thus citizens may be willing to substitute a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for the death penalty. Especially when nonviolent offenders are involved, there is substantial support for intermediate sanctions and for restorative justice. Despite three decades of criticism, rehabilitation-particularly for the young-remains an integral part of Americans' correctional philosophy. There is also widespread support for early intervention programs. In the end, the public shows a tendency to be punitive and progressive, wishing the correctional system to achieve the diverse missions of doing justice, protecting public safety, and reforming the wayward.

Journal Title

Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, Vol 27

Volume

27

Publication Date

1-1-2000

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

1

Last Page

79

WOS Identifier

WOS:000171952300001

ISSN

0192-3234

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