NCJ Number
240969
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 52 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2012 Pages: 1072-1091
Date Published
November 2012
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study explored the effects of providing information about the magistracy and sentencing guidelines to the general public in the United Kingdom.
Abstract
Public opinion surveys have long documented public criticism of 'lenient' sentencers. There are two principal perceptions contributing to negative attitudes: a lack of community input and the view that sentencers determine sentence according to their own views. This study embeds an experimental design within a representative survey of respondents in England and Wales (n = 1,004), supplemented by laboratory-based work (n = 230) and focus groups. Results demonstrated that the public is ill-informed about both the magistracy and the sentencing guidelines. In addition, providing information about sentencing changed public attitudes to sentencing and reduced public punitiveness. Respondents were less critical of disposals and less punitive in their own sentence recommendations when they had been given context about the structure of sentencing. (Published Abstract)