Book Review: Book Review
| Published date | 01 November 2010 |
| Date | 01 November 2010 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1748895810383807 |
| Author | Lynn Hancock |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Book Review
Book Review
J. Wood and T. Gannon (eds)
Public opinion and criminal justice, Cullompton: Willan Publishing, 2009;
13:9781843924005; 13:9781843924012, £24.00
Reviewed by: Lynn Hancock, University of Liverpool, UK
The news media, politicians and policy-makers frequently claim to have developed and
augmented new ways of gathering public views on ‘crime’ and criminal justice to a
greater extent than ever before. Assertions that policies reflect (or should reflect) public
opinion are made more vociferously and regularly. Conversely, recognition of the com-
plexity of public opinion, and the tensions and ambiguities that have been revealed in
academic studies, are much less widely acknowledged. Wood and Gannon’s collection
makes an important and timely contribution to the literature in this area and, in so
doing, it reveals the issues at stake when public opinion is invoked rather than exam-
ined carefully and critically.
The collection is presented in two parts. The first – Public Opinion: Its Formation and
Function – includes chapters that are diverse in their orientation. Put together, they pro-
vide a sound overview of the research evidence on opinion formation (Bohner and
Wänke), the importance of public opinion for criminal justice (Wood), and the factors
which shape public opinion (Gray). The concern in Part 1 is to ‘unpack’ public opinion
and reveal the assumptions about the public’s expressed preferences in the light of
research evidence. Francis Cullen and his colleagues’ chapter, ‘The myth of support for
capital punishment’, exemplifies this approach, and the methodological issues so central
to this subject matter have a dedicated chapter where these issues are explored in an
accessible manner (Viki and Bohner).
The approach in Part 2, Public Opinion: Victims and Offenders, is rather more focused.
The great strength of this part of the book lies in the way the chapters add depth by focus-
ing specifically on the perceptions of – and towards – groups who come into contact with
the criminal justice system as offenders (Reynolds et al.), victims (Wilson and Scholes)
and witnesses (Gilchrist). Brown’s chapter, ‘Attitudes towards sexual offenders and their
rehabilitation: a special case?’, is particularly informative and thought-provoking. Brown
provides a persuasive critique of policies which claim to be responding to public demand
(channelled via the tabloid press). She provides a thorough assessment of the limitations
of community notification policies and the assumptions underpinning these measures,
Criminology & Criminal Justice
10(4) 419–420
© The Author(s) 2010
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DOI: 10.1177/1748895810383807
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