Work

Punitiveness of society and criminal policy in six Central European countries

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The countries of Central Europe are home to diverse penal cultures but rare comparative studies typically focus only on national penal codifications or on cross-country measures of public attitudes towards crime and punishment. This article compares three dimensions of punitiveness – penal legislation, actual sentencing practice of the courts, and punishment preferences of the general public – in six jurisdictions: Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Punishment preferences features new data from the Central European Social Survey, in which respondents were asked to recommend suitable sentences for five hypothetical crimes. We found public preferences relate closely to the domestic judicial practice but less so to the maximum penalties provided in a country's penal code. In particular, participants based in Germany proved far less punitive than others, which echoes the penal moderation of German courts.

Source: European Journal of Criminology

DOI: 10.1177/14773708241260153

Authors: Paweł Ostaszewski, Andrzej Uhl, Katarzyna Witkowska-Rozpara, Dagmara Woźniakowska

Institutions: University of Warsaw, University of Cambridge, Polish Academy of Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Criminal Justice and Penology

Subfield: Law

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450