Attitudes and Myths about Punishment

The issue of crime and justice permeates the minds of the American populace on a daily basis through personal experiences or the media via what they see, read, or hear. In general, the American public has a sense about how much crime there is in the United [Page 10]States and who is responsible for committing these offenses. Ask people about the causes of crime, and they are certain to delve into a discussion about their perceptions and beliefs about its existence, causes, and proper responses. Even though information is disseminated at a higher rate of speed than ever before, this information is typically mired by some political agenda or focus unbeknownst to consumers. The images provided by the media typically portray crime and the worst perpetrators as young, black, male, and poor. Despite these images, the real picture of crime is much different, particularly where race is concerned. Attitudes and myths about crime and punishment shape our views in such a way as to deceive the American public into supporting responses to behavior based upon extreme cases.

Myths about crime and punishment are propagated in a variety of ways. Most compelling for the maintenance of the myths are the ever-increasing discrepancies between the reality of crime and the political agendas that support increased punishment. Fortunately, since 2008, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States has experienced a continual decline in crime rates. Even with the trend, efforts to focus on crime control initiatives still exist. As E. Currie notes, crime control policies constitute big business. Communities benefit economically from building more prisons, hiring more law enforcement personnel, and enhancing mechanisms of control. From a political perspective, therefore, the creation and maintenance of views toward crime that increase fear and offer support for harsher punishments are fruitful for reelection. Furthermore, as D. A. Green notes, these myths support the argument that crime and criminals are something to be feared, potentially even “evil.” By dividing the culture into two distinct categories—us (law-abiding citizens) and them (offenders)—society can inevitably support responses to behavior that limit individual freedom and enhance the mechanisms for control by the government. Often, according to A. King and S. Maruna, these policies result in overcrowded correctional institutions with little or no reductions in recidivism.

Despite these differences in perceptions, more recent research suggests that individuals are inclined to support mechanisms for prevention, rehabilitation, and reentry more than strict emphasis on mandatory punishments. The problems associated with perpetuating crimes begin, according to J. D. Unnever and F. T. Cullen, with the myths, as opposed to the reality, of how much crime exists in the United States and the proper responses to these behaviors.

As F. E. Hagan contends, myths about crime range from the likely victim to the perpetrators. For example, studies asking individuals to describe offenders reveal the following:

• Females and the elderly fear crime because they are the most heavily victimized of all groups.
• Victims of crime seldom know or recognize their offenders.
• Crime is rising by leaps and bounds and is at an all-time high.
• The larger the city, the greater the likelihood that its residents will be victims of crime.
• In general, residents of large cities believe that their police are doing a poor job.
• African Americans and Hispanics are less likely than the population as a whole to report personal crimes to the police.
• Most residents of large cities think that their neighborhoods are not safe.
• African Americans are overrepresented on death rows across the nation; however, this overrepresentation is more pronounced in the south than in other regions.
• Crime is an inevitable product of complex, populous, and industrialized societies.
• White-collar crime is nonviolent.
• Regulatory agencies prevent white-collar crime.
• The insanity defense allows many dangerous offenders to escape conviction.

Reality, however, paints quite a different picture from perceptions. As Hagan notes, for

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