NCJ Number
162198
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1996) Pages: 191-212
Date Published
1996
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article examines public opinion regarding punishment of juvenile offenders, discusses the media's role in constructing youth crime into a social issue, and suggests avenues for future research.
Abstract
There is little published research on public opinion regarding juvenile justice issues. The current research tests a model predicting punitiveness toward young offenders based upon a theoretical framework and the research literature concerned with adult criminal justice topics. Predictor variables include fear of crime, conservative values, victimization experience, and demographic factors. The data derive from a 1993 Winnipeg Area Study, using a random telephone survey methodology to interview respondents from 499 households. The results revealed that respondents were quite punitive in their responses, but that this was not based upon experiences of actual victimization. The theoretical model received only partial support since neither fear nor the background variables had consistent net effects on punitiveness but, as predicted, those with more conservative social values were consistently more punitive. Figure, tables, note, references