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Crime and Punishment in Canada: A Statistical Test of the “Conventional Wisdom” *
Author(s) -
Mcdonald Lynn
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
canadian review of sociology/revue canadienne de sociologie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.414
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1755-618X
pISSN - 1755-6171
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-618x.1969.tb02310.x
Subject(s) - humanities , punishment (psychology) , political science , psychology , criminology , philosophy , social psychology
Trois propositions fondamentales qui traduisent les impressions populaires sur le crime et ses chatiments sont mises a l'epreuve dans une analyse regressive a l'aide des moindres carres. Voici les resultats obtenus: (a) le taux general de criminalite n'a pas augmente durant les annees 1950‐66 si on met de cote les infractions mineures; (b) durant la meme periode les jugements ne furent pas moins severes et les disparites dans les sentences ne se sont pas amenuisees; (c) 1'augmentation du taux des offenses mineures est directement associee a l'accroissement de la force policiere. On cherche a expliquer pourquoi les croyances populaires persistent meme si elles sont refutees par les faits. Three propositions which express the conventional wisdom about crime and punishment are tested with least squares regression analysis. The results are that the over‐all crime rate has not increased between 1950 and 1966 (except for trivial infractions); sentences have not become more lenient, nor have disparities in sentencing decreased throughout the same period. Increases in the rates for the less serious offences are positively correlated with increases in the size of the police force. Reasons for the persistence of belief in the conventional wisdom in the face of contradictory evidence are offered.