Characteristics and Justifications for Sentencing Term Paper

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Drives Punitive Beliefs

Brian K. Payne, Randy R. Gainey, Ruth A. Triplett, and Mona J.E. Danner present a sociological examination of punitive beliefs in the United States in their article "What Drives Punitive Beliefs? Demographic Characteristics and Justifications for Sentencing." In particular the authors address three main research issues: how punitive citizens are and how they view certain criminal sanctions; what factors influence individuals' attitudes toward punishment; and whether differences in attitude are reflected in different races and gender. In their review of literature, the authors appropriately discuss non-scientific, philosophical studies of criminology and punishment, referring to early treatises on the subject such as Beccaria's Essays on Crime and Punishment and Emile Durkheim's mid-twentieth century beliefs that criminology. One of the greatest strengths of "What Drives Punitive Beliefs?" is in fact the author's incorporation of philosophical points in current sociological, empirical research. Mentioning the works of W.E.B. DuBois is a particularly positive reflection on the authors' inclusiveness of a wide and multiracial range of opinions on criminology.

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Payne, et. al. outline in plain view the five fundamental functions of punishment for crime: "specific deterrence;" "general deterrence;" "retribution;" "rehabilitation;" and "incapacitation," (196). Stating these five functions report helps establish guidelines for the current research. The authors dedicate the remainder of the in-depth literature review to sentencing attitudes and their sources as well as the importance of studying those attitudes and sources. The literature review is comprehensive and offers ample groundwork for the present study.

Furthermore, the researchers painstakingly distinguish between punishment attitudes and sentencing attitudes. This differentiation is another key strength of the literature review section of "What Drives Punitive Beliefs?" Attitudes toward punishment, according to the authors, determine attitudes about why individuals should be punished whereas sentencing attitudes determine how individuals feel about how individuals should be punished (196)......

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