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Socialpsychological Processes Underlying Attitudes Toward Legal Punishment
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2024
Abstract
This paper develops a theoretical framework for investigating the socialpsychological dynamics of punishment reactions to criminal offenders. Two basic types of punishment motives are delineated: behavior control and retribution. The target, or focus, of these motives may be the offender or a broader social audience. Within each of the four cells defined by this classification, we review the literature describing how punishment responses are influenced by characteristics of the rule, the offense, and the offender, as well as by the attitude and personality of the reactor. A large number of empirically testable propositions are generated.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Law & Society Review , Volume 14 , Issue 3: Contemporary Issues in Law and Social Science , Spring 1980 , pp. 565 - 602
- Copyright
- Copyright © 1980 Law and Society Association.
Footnotes
In addition to the support by NSF for this special issue of the Law & Society Review, the first author is indebted to the Russell Sage Foundation and the Battelle Seattle Research Center for support during a period when ideas contained in this article were in their germinal stages. Both authors wish to acknowledge that a Canada Council grant also aided preparation of the article. The authors thank Philip Brickman, Robert Hogan, and Charles Thomas for comments on earlier drafts of this paper. Special thanks are due to Richard Abel, who provided ideas and outstanding editorial assistance.
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