NCJ Number
169563
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 39 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1997) Pages: 275-291
Date Published
1997
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examines the relationship between specific victimizations and views of sentencing, the courts and police.
Abstract
Many Canadians perceive the criminal courts as too lenient in sentencing offenders. A common explanation for the widespread perception of leniency is that people have inadequate knowledge of the courts generally, and of sentencing in particular. It may be that knowledge is only part of the story; those who fear crime are more likely to view adult sentences as too lenient. This finding held for both victims and non-victims and was still evident when gender and age variables were controlled. Moreover, the higher one's fear, the more likely one was to rate the courts and the police negatively. The relationship between specific victimizations and views of sentencing, the courts and police was complex and appeared to be independent of the relationship of fear with those variables. People may evaluate the courts and police negatively because they regard those institutions as not having fulfilled their responsibility to do something about crime. Tables, notes, references