Sentencing riot-related offending: where do the public stand?
Roberts, J.V. and Hough, Mike (2013) Sentencing riot-related offending: where do the public stand? British Journal of Criminology 53 (2), pp. 234-256. ISSN 0007-0955.
Abstract
This article examines public attitudes to the sentencing offences associated with the rioting which took place in England in August 2011. Findings are based on a nationally representative survey of adults. The study uses a randomized split-sample experimental design to compare sentencing preferences for actual offences committed during the riots with preferences for similar offences committed under normal circumstances. The riot sub-sample generally ‘sentenced’ more severely than the non-riot sub-sample, but much less severely than the courts. The majority also thought that a non-custodial sentence with a reparative element was an acceptable alternative to custody. These trends suggest an unusual divergence of perspectives between the community and the courts: although the public are generally critical of the courts for leniency, with respect to non-violent offending during the riots, the latter appear more punitive.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | sentencing, riots, aggravation, public opinion |
School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences |
Research Centres and Institutes: | Crime & Justice Policy Research, Institute for |
Depositing User: | Administrator |
Date Deposited: | 26 Feb 2013 15:17 |
Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:02 |
URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/6165 |
Statistics
Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.