Predicting support for community corrections: Crime type and severity, and offender, observer, and victim characteristics
| Author | Inna Levy,Keren Cohen-Louck,Sergio Herzog |
| Published date | 01 July 2022 |
| Date | 01 July 2022 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1462474521989805 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Predicting support for
community corrections:
Crime type and
severity, and offender,
observer, and victim
characteristics
Inna Levy
Ariel University, Israel; Zefat Academic College, Israel
Keren Cohen-Louck
Ariel University, Israel
Sergio Herzog
Zefat Academic College, Israel
Abstract
The aim of the current research was to examine the contribution of crime type and
severity as well as offender, observer, and victim characteristics to prediction of per-
ception of community correction (CC) as an appropriate punishment. We conducted a
telephone survey among Israeli citizens. A random and representative sample of 573
respondents, aged 20 to 74, evaluated the seriousness of crime scenarios and the
appropriateness of CC for each scenario. In different versions of crime scenarios, we
manipulated offence type as well as offender and victim characteristics. The results of a
logistic regression indicate that perceived lower crime severity, a crime that is not
murder, older offender age, and being a secular observer are related with an increased
likelihood of supporting community corrections. The discussion addresses these find-
ings in the context of punitive goals (e.g., revenge, retribution), public perception of
offender dangerousness, and social identity theory.
Corresponding author:
Inna Levy, Department of Criminology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.
Email: inna.levy1@gmail.com
Punishment & Society
!The Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/1462474521989805
journals.sagepub.com/home/pun
2022, Vol. 24(3) 346–366
Keywords
attitudes toward offenders, community correction, crime severity, punitiveness,
sentencing
Introduction
Community correction (CC) refers to sanctions in which offenders serve all or a
portion of their sentence in the community (Alarid, 2017: 4). It includes such
imprisonment alternatives as residential programs (e.g., halfway houses, therapeu-
tic communities), economic sanctions (e.g., restitution, fees and fines), and non-
residential or outpatient solutions (e.g., probation, parole, electronic monitoring;
Alarid, 2017; Gelb, 2011; Shahbazov, 2019). CC plays a vital role in the criminal
justice system as it represents an alternative to incarceration, promotes offender re-
integration into the community, and contributes to recidivism reduction
(Lowenkamp et al., 2010; Shoham et al., 2015). Public support is critical for ini-
tiation, fundraising, management, and overall success of community-based correc-
tions programs (Gainey and Payne, 2003; Garland et al., 2017). However, research
on public opinions regarding CC is still limited (Garland et al., 2017) and there are
no studies on CC support in Israel. It is critical to research public attitudes toward
CC and factors related to public CC support because public opinions tend to shape
criminal justice policies and practices (Cullen et al., 2017; Roberts, 2018). This
study investigates Israeli public attitudes toward CC through crime type and sever-
ity as well as offender, observer and victim characteristics.
Crime type and severity
Research on public attitudes indicates that people tend to express more negative
attitudes toward offenders with a history of violent and sexual offenses compared
with those with a history of non-violent crimes, misdemeanors, and no sexual
offenses (Hardcastle et al., 2011; Perkins et al., 2009; Rogers et al., 2011).
Accordingly, the support for CC sanctions tends to be stronger for non-violent
offenders, such as property offenses and drunk drivers (Cullen et al., 2000;
Shahbazov, 2019; Thielo et al., 2016). Similarly, the public is more supportive of
electronic monitoring in cases of non-violent offenders. The public has little empa-
thy for perpetrators of serious crimes and believes that prison should remain the
only option for them (Shahbazov, 2019). Thus, in the case of sexual offences,
which are considered highly severe crimes (Herzog, 2017), citizens tend to support
incarceration over community-based sanctions (Dum, 2016; Harris and Socia,
2016; Kernsmith et al., 2009). Furthermore, citizens tend to adopt a “not in my
backyard” approach and resist placing transitional housing facilities for sex
offenders in their neighborhoods (Garland et al., 2017; Stojkovic and Farkas,
347
Levy et al.
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