Citizen Views on Punishment: the Difference between Talking and Deciding
Keywords:
Lay participation in judicial decision-making, attitudes towards criminal punishment, fear of crime, Participación ciudadana en la Justicia, actitudes hacia el castigo penal, sensación de inseguridadAbstract
In 2004, the Province of Córdoba, Argentina implemented lay participation in criminal decisions by means of Law 9182. The law was passed within a context of national debate concerning efficient measures to fight against insecurity and crime. These debates were brought about by a social movement led by Juan Carlos Blumberg, which demanded harsher penalties and judicial reform as means to improve urban safety.
Data obtained in two public opinions studies, conducted in 1993 and 2011, are used to analyze trends in attitudes towards criminal punishment, including issues such as the image of criminals or opinions on capital punishment. The revision also includes the influence of the fear of crime on attitudes towards punishment.
The analysis of citizen views on punishment extends beyond public opinion data to the judicial field, reviewing how these views are expressed during jury service. Using a set of 213 sentences decided between 2005 and 2012, juror and judge decisions on the same cases are compared.
En 2004, la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina, estableció la participación ciudadana en las decisiones penales por medio de la ley 9182. La ley fue aprobada en el contexto de un debate nacional sobre las medidas más eficientes para luchar contra la inseguridad y el delito, impulsados por un movimiento social liderado por Juan Carlos Blumberg. Las demandas de este movimiento incluían endurecimiento penal y reforma judicial, entendidos como medios para mejorar la seguridad.
Empleando datos de encuesta de población general recogidos en 1993 y 2011, el artículo analiza las tendencias en actitudes hacia el castigo penal, incluyendo temas como la imagen de los delincuentes y las opiniones sobre la pena de muerte. Se revisa especialmente la influencia de la sensación de inseguridad sobre las actitudes respecto del castigo.
El análisis de las actitudes ciudadanas ante el castigo se extiende hacia el terreno judicial, revisando la dureza de las decisiones de los jurados. Para ello, se comparan los votos de jueces y jurados, registrados en 213 sentencias emitidas entre 2005 y 2012.
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