LOCK EM UP - ATTITUDES TOWARD PUNISHING JUVENILE-OFFENDERS

There is little published research on public opinion regarding juvenil e justice issues. The current research tests a model predicting puniti veness toward young offenders based upon a theoretical framework and t he research literature concerned with adult criminal justice topics. P redictor variables include fear of crime, conservative values, victimi zation experience, and demographic factors. The data derive from the 1 993 Winnipeg Area Study, using a random telephone survey methodology t o interview respondents from 499 households. The results revealed that respondents were quite punitive in their responses, but that this was not based upon experiences of actual victimization. The theoretical m odel received only partial support since neither fear nor the backgrou nd variables had consistent net effects on punitiveness, but as predic ted, those with more conservative social values were consistently more punitive. The role of the media in constructing youth crime into a so cial issue is discussed and suggestions for future research are given.