NCJ Number
209866
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law and Society Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2005 Pages: 99-121
Date Published
March 2005
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study examined racial differences in views of crime and punishment among a sample of White and minority college students in the Midwest.
Abstract
Historically, public views on crime and punishment in the United States have tended toward the punitive. There is evidence, however, that this punitive tendency is not shared equally across all groups in the United States. The current article probed whether there are differences in views on crime and punishment by race through the administration of an attitude measurement survey to 302 White and minority students at 2 Midwestern public universities. Variables under consideration included view of crime as a social problem, fear of being victimized, extension of rights to non-U.S. citizens, support for punitive punishment, educational level, race, age, and gender. Results of regression analyses indicated significant differences between White and minority students on all four crime and punishment measures, with White students expressing decidedly more punitive attitudes than minority students. These results remained after controlling for gender, age, academic level, and conservative/liberal ideology. The findings suggest that views of crime and punishment among Whites and minorities are best explained by conflict theory, rather than consensus theory. Future research should be conducted in this area to supplement the results of this exploratory study; future studies should incorporate more ethnic minority groups as the minorities in the current study were mainly Black. Tables, notes, references