Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)
Awards/Availabilty
Open Access Presidential Scholars Thesis
First Advisor
B. Keith Crew, Advisor
Second Advisor
Joe Gorton, Advisor
Keywords
Corporal punishment--Public opinion;
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine intergenerational differences regarding corporal punishment of criminal offenders, particularly preferential differences that occur between members of the Baby Boom and Echo-Baby Boom generations. This research is of interest due to America 's changing culture. The children of Baby Roomers see fewer acts and practices as sinful and morally wrong than do their parents, and our research examines if similar changes occurred in the criminal justice system in response to how offenders should be punished. No studies currently exist which examine this issue, and this research will create awareness in the discipline of criminology. To investigate these preferences, we administered a survey instrument to members of both generations in the spring of 2003. Members of the Baby Boom generation completed the survey at Spring Commencement at the University of Northern Iowa while members of the Echo-Baby Boom generation filled out the survey in selected Liberal Arts Core classes at the university.
The survey, designed to measure preferences toward corporal punishment, included several crime scenarios where the respondent picked either a corporal or non-corporal sanc;tion for the offender. Other questions focused on topics such as support fof the death penalty, surgical castration, and corporal punishment in general. Chi Squares were used to analyze the differences between the two ; generations and · initially failed to reveal statistically significant results. Logistic regression models were employed in order to further analyze generational differences as well as the impact of other variables such as race, education, and social class which may impact preferences. Although few statistically significant differences were identified, this lack of variation can partially be attributed to the homogenous nature of Iowa's population. Even with limited significant findings, this research provides insight regarding preferential differences of corporal punishment and cultural change.
Date of Award
2004
Department
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology
Presidential Scholar Designation
A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation Presidential Scholar
Date Original
2004
Object Description
1 PDF file (50 pages)
Date Digital
11-27-2017
Copyright
©2004 Allison Deutsch, Molly Movall, Christine Van Berkum
Type
document
Language
EN
File Format
application_pdf
Recommended Citation
Deutsch, Allison; Movall, Molly; and Van Berkum, Christine, "Intergenerational preferences regarding punishment of criminal offenders" (2004). Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006). 62.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pst/62
Comments
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