Anger about crime and support for punitive criminal justice policies

Abstract

Previous research on the sources of punitive attitudes has largely focused on the cognitive and demographic factors associated with the desire to punish criminals harshly. This study focuses on the link between affect and punitiveness by examining the relationship between anger about crime and support for punitive criminal penalties. Using national survey data from the USA, this research shows that anger about crime is a significant predictor of punitive attitudes, after controlling for other factors such as racial prejudice, fear of crime, causal attributions for criminal behavior, and political ideology. The findings indicate the need for more research on the relationship between emotions and punitiveness.