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Penal Hawk and Penal Doves: Attitudes to Punishment in the British Crime Survey

NCJ Number
115094
Journal
Home Office Research and Planning Unit Research Bulletin Issue: 21 Dated: (1986) Pages: 5-9
Author(s)
M Hough; H Lewis
Date Published
1986
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Analyses of 1984 British Crime Survey (BCS) data regarding attitudes toward offenders reveals that punitiveness is associated with factors such as age, education, social class, fear of crime, and experiences of crime.
Abstract
The BCS draws on a subsample of some 6,000 people over age 15 in England and Wales. It shows that punitiveness has several demographic correlates. While people over 61 were more punitive than other age groups, increasing education was associated with more lenient attitudes. Controlling for education, people in nonmanual occupations were less punitive than those in manual occupations. People in both rural areas and inner cities were more punitive than those living elsewhere. Fear of crime was positively related to punitiveness, but experience as a crime victim appears to moderate punitive attitudes. A discussion of the findings focuses on the effects of victimization and area of residence on attitudes. Tables and 13 references.

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