Determinants of Punitive Attitudes of College Students Toward Criminal Offenders

Abstract

A thorough review of the literature reveals many methodological weaknesses in research exploring the attitudes of the public toward criminal offenders. By identifying and correcting these shortcomings, this study examines the factors influencing the attitudes of college students toward criminal offenders. Examining these factors can significantly improve our understanding of why there has been a sharp increase in prison populations. A survey of 2,273 students in four Texas and Wisconsin universities provides us with original data for this analysis. Respondents were asked to assess appropriate punishments for six different types of crimes. An Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression enabled us to conclude that ideology is the best single predictor of student attitudes toward the treatment of criminals. In fact, in the face of strong political ideology, individual demographics seem to be irrelevant. Interestingly, Texas college students are more punitive toward sexual offenders than Wisconsin students are.