CONSERVATIVE PROTESTANTISM AND THE PERCEIVED WRONGFULNESS OF CRIMES -A RESEARCH NOTE

Authors
Citation
Tr. Curry, CONSERVATIVE PROTESTANTISM AND THE PERCEIVED WRONGFULNESS OF CRIMES -A RESEARCH NOTE, Criminology, 34(3), 1996, pp. 453-464
Citations number
23
Categorie Soggetti
Criminology & Penology
Journal title
ISSN journal
00111384
Volume
34
Issue
3
Year of publication
1996
Pages
453 - 464
Database
ISI
SICI code
0011-1384(1996)34:3<453:CPATPW>2.0.ZU;2-#
Abstract
This research addresses the relationship between conservative Protesta ntism and the perceived wrongfulness of crimes. In a recent study, War r (1989) identified ''nondiscriminators''-people who perceived a wide range of crimes to be equally morally wrong. Although lacking measures of religion, Warr hypothesized, based on their written comments, that the respondents used religious beliefs to assess wrongfulness. Since Protestant theology tends to view morality categorically, with no grad ations between the extremes, those individuals who most strongly adher e to this doctrine may be the nondiscriminators. This study tests and finds strong support for this hypothesis, which has important implicat ions for the recent shift toward increased punitiveness in sentencing, research concerning public perceptions of crime, and studies of relig ion.