Changing Attitudes to Punishment

by Julian Roberts (Editor), Mike Hough (Editor)

Overview

Throughout the western world public opinion has played an important role in shaping criminal justice policy. At the same time opinion polls repeatedly demonstrate that the public knows little about crime and justice, and holds negative views of the criminal justice system. This book, consisting of chapters from leading authorities in the field, is concerned to address this problem, and draws upon research in a number of different countries to address the issues arising from this state of affairs. Its main aims are:

• to explore the changing and evolving nature of public attitudes to sentencing
• to examine the factors that influence public opinion and to bring together recent international research which has demonstrated ways in which public attitudes can be changed
• to propose specific strategies to respond to the crisis in public confidence in criminal justice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781135988388
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/11/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Edited by Roberts, Julian; Hough, Mike

Table of Contents

1. Public Attitudes to Punishment: The Context by Julian V. Roberts and Mike Hough 2. Measuring Attitudes to Sentencing by Loretta J. Stalans 3. Public Opinion and the Nature of Community Penalties by Julian V. Roberts 4. Cross-National Attitudes Towards Punishment by Pat Mayhew and John Kesteren 5. The Evolution of Public Attitudes to Punishment in Western and Eastern Europe by Helmut Kury, Obergfell-Fuchs and Ursula Smartt 6. Public and Judicial Attitudes to Punishment in Switzerland by André Kuhn 7. Public Support for Correctional Rehabilitation: Change or Consistency? by Francis T. Cullen, Jennifer A. Pealer, Bonnie S. Fisher, Brandon K. Applegate and Shannon A. Santana 8. Attitudes to Punishment in the US - Punitive and Liberal Opinions by John Doble 9. How Malleable are Attitudes to Crime and Punishment? Findings from a British Deliberative Poll by Mike Hough and Alison Park 10. Improving Public Knowledge about Crime and Criminal Justice by Catriona Mirrlees-Black 11. Strategies for Changing Public Attitudes to Punishment by David Indermaur and Mike Hough 12. Privileging Public Attitudes Towards Sentencing by Rod Morgan

Editorial Reviews

'The book makes a much needed and timely contribution to building a body of knowledge that deconstructs current misconceptions about public attitudes to punishment.' − SCOLAG Journal

'This book provides comprehensive coverage of some of the important issues linked to changing attitudes to punishment, and provides some fascinating and accessible insights .. as a consequence it is a significant contribution to furthering understanding'; 'At the end of the day I can think of very little else that that I would have wished had been included in this excellent text, and little that ought to be excised.' − Commonwealth Judicial Journal

'The volume will undoubtedly serve as a stimulus for more research on public opinion and attitudes about crime, thereby contributing to improvements in penal policy.' − British Journal of Criminology

From the Publisher