The perception of crime and punishment: A multidimensional scaling analysis

Two studies were conducted to determine (a) the degree to which seriousness is an underlying dimension in the perception of crimes, (b) the relationship of seriousness and other perceived properties of crimes with punishments prescribed by law and punishments assigned by subjects themselves, and (c) the relationship between personality variables and both the salience of perceptual dimensions and the severity of punishments assigned. Similarity judgments for two sets of crimes were multidimensionally scaled and in both cases the four-dimensional solutions were optimal. None of the dimensions was highly associated with judged seriousness. As in previous investigations, seriousness was only moderately related to punishments prescribed by law. However, certain other perceptual dimensions were found to be associated with legally prescribed punishments, although these were not the same dimensions which were aligned with the severity of punishments called for by the subjects. Authoritarianism and Locus of Control were significantly related to the salience of perceptual dimensions for one of the two sets of crimes. High Authoritarians called for more severe punishments to be levied for crimes on three of the dimensions in one set, but assigned significantly longer sentences than other subjects only for capital offenses.