NCJ Number
55266
Date Published
1978
Length
448 pages
Annotation
VIEWS OF SOCIOLOGISTS ON THE FREE WILL ISSUE IN DEALING WITH CRIME AND OFFENDERS AND THEIR ANALYSIS OF DEVIANCE ARE PRESENTED TO HELP CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES FORMULATE POLICIES REGARDING CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY & PUNISHMENT.
Abstract
HUMAN WILL IS COMMONLY VIEWED AS A SPECIAL MECHANISM, POWER, OR FACULTY WHICH INITIATES, SUSTAINS, AND DIRECTS ACTIVITIES. WILL TENDS TO BE AN ELASTIC TERM WITH MANY MEANINGS AND, CONSEQUENTLY, HAS HIGH POTENTIAL FOR MISUNDERSTANDING AND VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO ADOPT THE SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST APPROACH, STRESS THE ROLE OF HUMAN DECISION AND CHOICE AS CRUCIAL INGREDIENTS IN A VOLUNTARISTIC OR FREE WILL STANCE. IN SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM, EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON IMPROVISATION; PERFORMANCE IS OFTEN CONTRARY TO EXPECTATIONS. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS WHO SHARE A FREE WILL PERSPECTIVE HAVE A TENDENCY TO VIEW THE CONCEPT OF WILLING AS UNCOERCED CHOICE AMONG ALTERNATIVES AND GENERALLY DISTINGUISH WILLING FROM DESIRING OR WISHING. WITH ITS RELIGIOUS OVERT ONES, FREE WILL IS FREQUENTLY CHALLENGED BY A NATURALISTIC CULTURE AND THEORIES OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR. THERE ARE PHILOSOPHICAL POSTURES FAVORABLE AS WELL AS ANTAGONISTIC TO A FREE WILL PERSPECTIVE; ISSUES INVOLVED IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FREE WILL AND DEVIANCE INCLUDE FREE WILL AND RESPONSIBILITY, RESPONSIBILITY AND PUNISHMENT, AND CLASSICAL AND POSITIVE SCHOOLS OF CRIMINOLOGY. THREE GROUPS OF HYPOTHESES PERTINENT TO SOURCES OF CRIME, MODES OF DEALING WITH CRIME AND OFFENDERS, AND POLICIES OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES, AS ADDRESSED BY 10 SOCIOLOGISTS WHO HAVE STUDIED THE CONCEPT OF WILLING AND ITS ROLE IN DEVIANCE, ARE ANALYZED. IN GENERAL TERMS, THE HYPOTHESES POSTULATE THAT A GIVEN THEORIST WILL ADOPT A POSITION RELATIVE TO DEVIANCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS PERSPECTIVE ON THE FREE WILL-DETERMINISM ISSUE. FINDINGS OF THE ANALYSIS SHOW THAT SOCIOLOGISTS CONSIDER THE NATURE OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR, DEVIANCE, THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AND THE TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS IN THEIR THEORIES OF FREE WILL AND DEVIANCE; SOCIOLOGISTS TEND TO MOVE FROM A VOLUNTARISTIC TOWARD A DETERMINISTIC POSITION AS THE ISSUE OF FREE WILL BECOMES MORE SPECIFIC; MORE VOLUNTARISTIC SOCIOLOGISTS MOVE FROM A VOLUNTARISTIC TOWARD A NEUTRAL POSITION AND BEYOND, AND LESS VOLUNTARISTIC SOCIOLOGISTS SHIFT TO A STRONGLY DETERMINISTIC POSITION AS THE ISSUE OF FREE WILL BECOMES MORE CONCRETE; AND THE DECLINE OF VOLUNTARISM FROM GENERAL TO SPECIFIC LEVELS IS CONSISTENT, REGARDLESS OF THE EXTENT OF VOLUNTARISM EXHIBITED BY THE SOCIOLOGIST. THERE APPEARS TO BE NO TREND AMONG SOCIOLOGISTS TO DENY ETHICAL NORMS OF SCIENCE. A MATRIX OF THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE 10 SOCIOLOGISTS AND RELEVANT CHARTS AND TABLES ARE INCLUDED. REFERENCES ARE CITED. (DEP)