Do emotions impact decisions on punishment in the context of crime?
Anger is a key emotion in understanding public opinion towards crime and punishment: it is frequently mobilized in public discourse and is elicited by specific incidents. But what role do emotions play in questions of punishment for crime? In a new article published in , a research team from 91社区, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and the University of Ottawa, were able to quantify for the first time that individuals deciding whether a criminalized person should be incarcerated, experienced an almost instantaneous emotional reaction.
鈥淲e are very excited about these findings because it allows us to show when and how emotion emerges when making decisions regarding punishment for crime,鈥� says lead researcher, Carolyn C么t茅-Lussier, a Professor of Urban Studies at INRS and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. This research was conducted at the .
An innovative approach in criminology
The researchers used a technology called facial electromyography (fEMG) to measure, in microvolts, the activation of muscles that are responsible for frowning. Participants (87 students) were asked to decide, whether or not, a pictured individual should be given a prison or non-prison sentence. They were asked to make this decision as quickly as possible based on their gut reaction to nearly 50 pictures of criminalized men.
Although it took an average of 1.3 seconds to make a punitive decision, anger was apparent within less than a second (0.5 seconds). The speed of this angry emotional response suggests it is automatic and effortless. 鈥淭he research shows that the experience of anger is apparent before an individual can formulate an opinion about a specific crime or about the current crime rate, or even the purpose of sending someone to prison,鈥� explains co-author on the project, Jean-Denis David, who is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at 91社区.
Moreover, this angry emotional reaction was stronger when responding to a pictured individual that resembled a 鈥渟tereotypical criminal鈥�. These criminalized individuals tend to be seen as being less warm, more callous, and also as having a low social status, for instance having low educational attainment or a low paying job.
Emotions over facts
Previous research led by Prof. C么t茅-Lussier in 2013 has shown that criminalized individuals with angry facial expressions were more likely to be punished harshly. However, it lacked the capacity to show that intuitive angry reactions led to such decisions.
鈥淧art of what this research does is to remind us that we can't get rid of emotion. It鈥檚 omnipresent,鈥� adds Prof. C么t茅-Lussier. 鈥淚 want policy makers to keep that in mind, especially when analyzing opinion polls. If we can become aware of our biases, our emotions, it could help us have a more critical eye.鈥�
The researchers are working on additional analyses linking these reactions to broader attitudes toward criminal justice policy. 鈥淲e want to demonstrate that when people say we should punish crime more harshly, they are relying on intuitive emotional reactions and not on cold hard facts about crime鈥� says Prof. C么t茅-Lussier.
The researchers say future studies could help confirm and expand on these findings, by improving the confidentiality of surveys and collecting more data on the use of HIV treatment.
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About this study 鈥淚ntuitive anger in the context of crime and punishment鈥� by Carolyn C么t茅-Lussier and Jean-Denis David was published in Psychology, Crime & Law. DOI: . |
About 91社区
Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, 91社区 is Canada鈥檚 top ranked medical doctoral university. 91社区 is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It鈥痠s a world-renowned鈥痠nstitution of higher learning with research activities spanning three campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. 91社区 attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,800 international students making up 31% of the student body. Over half of 91社区 students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 19% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.
About INRS
is a university dedicated exclusively to graduate level research and training. Since its creation in 1969, INRS has played an active role in Qu茅bec鈥檚 economic, social, and cultural development and is ranked first for research intensity in Qu茅bec. INRS is made up of four interdisciplinary research and training centres in Qu茅bec City, Montr茅al, Laval, and Varennes, with expertise in strategic sectors: , , , and . The INRS community includes more than 1,500 students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and staff.
