The insignificant impact of language on criminal justice attitudes is not consistent with previous research. Possible explanations for this finding include:
The felony label may be more nuanced than how it was presented in the survey. Felonies include a wide range of offenses, from identity theft to murder. The way participants interpreted the word "felony" may have influenced their responses.
Individual characteristics, like the ones shown in the multivariate analysis, may play a more significant role in determining attitudes than language type.
People may be supportive of justice-involved people generally, as seen in previous research, but are still uncomfortable and unwilling to interact with them on a personal level.
Potential directions for future research in this area include:
Repeating this study using a larger, more representative sample
Exploring the effect of language on different crime types within the felony category
Further exploring how exposure to the criminal justice system influences attitudes
Implications for the field of criminology & criminal justice:
Facilitating more interactions between justice-involved people and community members could create more supportive communities
Continuing this research could help us better understand how attitudes toward justice-involved people are formed and reinforced by different identities and experiences.Â
Contact rhik003@terpmail.umd.edu to get more information on the project.