Structure of Criminal Law Images and Its Relationship to Attitudes toward Criminal Justice

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate how images regarding criminal law are structured in the public's consciousness, and how these images relate to attitudes toward criminal justice. Using items prepared in the pilot study, criminal law images were measured and regressed using the attitudes toward criminal justice scale. Results from 333 individuals showed that the images pertained to five factors - liberty and rights, norms and morals, body and safety, function of systems, and privileges of a few people, and there were relationships between: 1) the support for harsher punishment and liberty and rights, norms and morals, and body and safety; 2) the support for criminalization and norms and morals; 3) the support for enhanced rehabilitation and liberty and rights; and 4) the support for medicalization and norms and morals as well as body and safety. These results suggest that the public's image of criminal law has an effect on their attitude toward criminal justice, and thus, must be taken into consideration when a criminal policy is enacted.