Thinking About Crime and Control: A Comparative Study of Chinese and American Ideology

• NCJ Number: 195813
• Journal: International Criminal Justice Review Volume: 11 Dated: 2001 Pages: 58-81
• Author(s): Liqun Cao; Francis T. Cullen
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 24 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the differences and similarities in the crime related ideology of people in the United States and the People’s Republic of China.

Abstract

The authors note that previous research concerning crime related ideology in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has involved interviews with the PRC officials. While this provides a useful source of information, knowledge about how the ordinary Chinese citizen thinks of crime is largely absent from the literature. This article attempts to fill this gap by comparing the crime related ideologies of Chinese citizens with that of United States citizens. The authors conducted a survey of Chinese college students in the People's Republic of China and of American students in the United States in 1988. The United States sample consisted of 101 students enrolled in an introductory sociology class at a large midwestern university. The sample from the People's Republic of China consisted of 203 students from various classes and dormitories at the Educational College of Jiangsu. Results of statistical analyses supported previous research that used interview data from PRC officials. In particular, the authors noted that the Chinese respondents viewed criminals as malleable and thought the goal of criminal justice should be rehabilitation of the offender. However, most Chinese respondents also agreed that the prison system should function as punishment and not purely as a rehabilitation location. The authors also note that the Chinese sample considered poor socialization and the corrupting influences of Western society as the main causes of crime in their country. Finally, the authors note that the American and Chinese participants held many of the same views concerning crime and criminal control. The most significant similarity indicated that both Americans and Chinese people consider crime control to be a multidimensional issue. Not only do both nationalities support rehabilitation of the offender, they also both agree in punitive aspects of punishment. The authors suggest that more attention be paid to cross-national similarities and differences in perceptions of crime and crime control. Tables, references