Matching Items (2)

Public Perceptions of Life Without Parole for Juvenile Offenders

Description

This study will research public perceptions of life without parole (LWOP) for juvenile offenders by gauging levels of support for juvenile LWOP adult LWOP. It will also focus on if there is a certain age that the public feels are appropriate to sentence a juvenile to LWOP. A nationally representative…

This study will research public perceptions of life without parole (LWOP) for juvenile offenders by gauging levels of support for juvenile LWOP adult LWOP. It will also focus on if there is a certain age that the public feels are appropriate to sentence a juvenile to LWOP. A nationally representative sample of adult and youth will be used to gauge opinions using a randomized controlled vignette study design to measure support or lack thereof for juvenile LWOP. Results will identify how much the public supports LWOP for adult and juvenile offenders, as well as the youngest age person can be before receiving and LWOP sentence. Furthermore, the results will indicate if individuals believe these specific factors are enough to eliminate juvenile LWOP.
ContributorsKubly, Katelyn (Author) / Fine, Adam (Thesis director) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor)
Created2022-05
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Prosecutorial Discretion and Punishment Motives in Ambiguous Juvenile Sex Offense Cases

Description
This study hypothesizes that prosecutors would be more likely to prosecute juveniles who engage in sexual activity with an underage same-sex partner than those who engage in underage sexual activity with a member of the opposite sex. To test this hypothesis, surveys were mailed to 1,000 prosecutors around the United…

This study hypothesizes that prosecutors would be more likely to prosecute juveniles who engage in sexual activity with an underage same-sex partner than those who engage in underage sexual activity with a member of the opposite sex. To test this hypothesis, surveys were mailed to 1,000 prosecutors around the United States with a between subject design, meaning that each participant was only exposed to one condition in the vignette they read. There were a total of four vignettes, creating four conditions of different “offender” sex and “victim” sex in sexually appropriate relationships. The vignettes contain conditions in which either a male or female junior in high school was videotaped having oral sex with either a male or a female freshman in high school. Prosecutors were asked questions about whether they would prosecute the older student for statutory rape. Results indicated that manipulations of “offender” sex and “victim” sex were not statistically significant on prosecutorial discretion or punishment severity/motives; however, these manipulations did alter the prosecutors’ perceptions of the offender.
ContributorsCaraveo Parra, Diana Patricia (Author) / Fradella, Henry F. (Thesis advisor) / Salerno, Jessica M. (Committee member) / Telep, Cody W. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017