Gender Differences on the Beliefs of Punishment

There are differing views on the criminal justice system and sentences that are given to criminals. Previous research has shown that men and women have shown significant differences in their beliefs toward punishment. Davila and colleagues (2011) examined attitudes towards sentencing and found that women were more likely to view punishment as too harsh. Approximately 30 participants will complete the study, in which approximately half will be males and the other half will be females. Participants will be sampled from the University of the Pacific campus. In the current study, participants will complete a questionnaire regarding their beliefs on the current criminal justice system and then be read either random facts of the current criminal justice system or facts of overcrowding in the prison system. Participants will then rate scenarios as too lenient, appropriate, or too harsh. The scenarios will describe a criminal, his or her crime, the reason for committing the crime, and the sentence that was given to them. There will be five pairs of scenarios. Within the pair, one scenario will include details of a family and the other will not. Independent sample t-tests will be conducted to see whether gender is a significant factor. Other demographics will also be correlated to observe any other significant differences on beliefs on punishment within the corrections system. It is hypothesized that females will score the punishment in each scenario as too harsh when compared to men who will score the punishment in the same scenario as too lenient