How Public Perceptions of Terrorism, Hate Crimes, and other Forms of Mass Violence Influence Support for Rehabilitation and Reentry Programming
Presenter Type
UNO Graduate Student (Masters)
Major/Field of Study
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Advisor Information
Erin Kearns
Location
CEC RM #230
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
22-3-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
22-3-2024 10:15 AM
Abstract
Public opinion regarding crime significantly shapes policy decisions, and terrorism-related crimes and mass violence tend to be at the forefront of public concern. There is a significant area of research that has explored how the public views rehabilitation and reentry programs for many criminal offenses, but relatively little research has considered rehabilitation for those convicted of terrorism-related crimes, especially in the United States. Further, there is a lack of research which considers how the public perception of an attack influences policy decisions related to rehabilitation. The current project seeks to address these gaps by asking two questions: 1) How does support for rehabilitation and reentry programs vary across criminal actions? and 2) How do these processes vary across subgroups of the public? We use an online survey-experiment in which over 1,200 US adult participants evaluate scenarios about a recent criminal event which includes characteristics of terrorism, a hate crime, and/or another example of mass violence. Findings indicate that perceptions of rehabilitation or reentry programming for a perpetrator vary as a function of the type of crime, perception of the event, and individual characteristics of both the offender and the participant.
How Public Perceptions of Terrorism, Hate Crimes, and other Forms of Mass Violence Influence Support for Rehabilitation and Reentry Programming
CEC RM #230
Public opinion regarding crime significantly shapes policy decisions, and terrorism-related crimes and mass violence tend to be at the forefront of public concern. There is a significant area of research that has explored how the public views rehabilitation and reentry programs for many criminal offenses, but relatively little research has considered rehabilitation for those convicted of terrorism-related crimes, especially in the United States. Further, there is a lack of research which considers how the public perception of an attack influences policy decisions related to rehabilitation. The current project seeks to address these gaps by asking two questions: 1) How does support for rehabilitation and reentry programs vary across criminal actions? and 2) How do these processes vary across subgroups of the public? We use an online survey-experiment in which over 1,200 US adult participants evaluate scenarios about a recent criminal event which includes characteristics of terrorism, a hate crime, and/or another example of mass violence. Findings indicate that perceptions of rehabilitation or reentry programming for a perpetrator vary as a function of the type of crime, perception of the event, and individual characteristics of both the offender and the participant.