Public Opinion on Crime Causation: An Exploratory Study of Philadelphia Area Residents

• NCJ Number: 238163
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 40 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2012 Pages: 50-59
• Author(s): Shaun L. Gabbidon; Danielle Boisvert
• Date Published: February 2012
• Length: 10 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg; Penn State's Africana Research Ctr; Penn State University at Harrisburg, Office of Research and Graduate Studies
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

Views on what causes crime were examined in a sample (N=359) of randomly selected Philadelphia-area residents.

Abstract

Generally, among the entire sample, individual-level theories of what causes criminal behavior were prevalent. This may reflect the high value respondents placed on the influence of family and friends in preventing or causing criminal behavior. Two of the highest rated crime-cause items in the survey were the motivation to obtain material wealth by any means necessary and having an opportunity to commit crime with little chance of being caught. Respondents were not generally supportive of biological theories of crime or theories that involve the linking of crime and immigration trends. There was also a reluctance to conclude that criminal behavior results from a criminal having different values and morals than the average person. Drug and alcohol abuse were viewed as two problems behaviors related to criminal behavior. There were slight differences in the views of males and females. Females were more likely to attribute crime to the criminal justice system's failure to be sufficiently harsh with offenders; men were more likely to believe that a failure to discipline children was important in causing criminal behavior. Political conservatives were more likely to support classical, biological, psychological, and social control theories of crime. Political moderates and liberals were more likely to refer to recent research findings on crime causes. Across-race comparisons found that Blacks were less likely than Whites to attribute criminal behavior to biological factors, and Blacks were more likely than Whites to attribute some crime to "stressful life events." Results are also reported for between-race comparisons by gender and within-race analyses of Whites and Blacks by gender. Using a phone survey, residents were asked 37 questions related to their level of support for several items that reflected various criminological crime-cause theories. 9 tables, 3 notes, and 73 references