The Extent to which Punitive Policies and Attitudes associated with the USA have been replicated in other European Countries is Overrated. Discuss.

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The Extent to which Punitive Policies and Attitudes associated with the USA have been replicated in other European Countries is Overrated. Discuss.

Punitive policies and attitudes have been an important subject of discussion, especially in relation to the countries that have the characteristic of a multiracial society, like the US. Looking at the United States, for example, crime trends, attitudes and perceptions towards tough punitive policies differ greatly along racial lines. Indeed, in America, criminological research statistics show that the people of color are less punitive as compared to the white Americans. The attitudes and perceptions towards punitive measures are also highly influenced by policy-makers and the media. Similarly, most European countries have their media and the politicians inciting the public to support more punitive policies, and attitudes towards particular groups portray the criminal justice system as selective. Although there are similarities between the two societies, the European society seems to have their attitudes and punitive policies fluctuate as affected by certain parameters such as economic insecurity and the danger of crime. Apparently, the European society has emerged to become as punitively selective as the American society, especially in the media and the politicians. It is, therefore, false to argue that the replication of American punitive policies and attitudes in the European countries has been overrated.

A number of similarities in perceptions and punitive policies between the European and American society support the position that this essay has taken. In the American society, the white Americans have been found to be more punitive as compared to the people of color (The Sentencing Project, 2014, P. 3). Indeed, the Blacks and the Hispanics are less punitive than the Whites. Indeed, the Whites often misjudge the crimes committed by the Latinos and blacks, and they feel that these groups should be punished more severely (Green, Stearkle & Sears, 2006, P. 437). On the same note, Monterosso (2009, P. 14) observes that the whites who have a tendency of associating crime with the people of color are more likely to support punitive policies. It is arguable that the criminal justice system of America is very selective. According to the Justice Sentencing Project (2014), the media contribute greatly to promoting selective attitudes and punitive policies. Indeed, media programs over-represent the Blacks and Latinos as crime suspects, while they portray the whites as the victims to the criminal activities. For this reason, the criminal justice system and the public safety system have been undermined by these racial perceptions.

The situation with these perceptions is very similar in the European countries, a fact that shows that the replication of punitive policies and attitudes associated with the Americans has not been overrated. There is a tendency to view the people of color as crime suspects among the Europeans, although the trend fluctuates and is influenced by various factors, and is different between the society and the media and politicians. According to Monterosso (2009, P. 14), harsh punitive policies in the European countries are spread mostly by politicians and the media. The politicians spread such public outcry in a bid to win the people and gain their votes. Monterroso observes that the punitive policies are selective and meant to punish the members of the minority races, and are more inclined to allaying the fear of crime among the populace.

Another factor that supports the position of this essay is the commonality in the media discourse fuelled by both the European and the American media. Monterosso (2009, P. 18) connotes that the media in the European countries have been fond of fueling discourses that are aimed at criminalizing the members of the communities seen as disadvantaged. Indeed, Costelloe, Chiricos and Gertz (2009, P. 26) reiterates that the criminology of seeing the members of a particular ethnic group as the criminals is not based on research, but images, anxieties and stereotyping.

The ‘moral street-sweeping’ notion is evident both in the American and European society. Monterosso (2009) argues that such a movement is made up of people who just want to displace their anger on people of black and other minority origins. A similarity in the two societies is that, in both the US and the European countries, the minorities live in poverty stricken areas, separated from the suburban areas. It, thus, becomes easier for them to be targeted. An example of a European country that has emerged entirely punitive is Britain. According to Monterosso (2009), the punitive nature of the British has emerged due to the need to focus on the effects of the crime on the society, victims, and citizens. Previously, the system focused on the causes. Indeed, just like the American society, the Europeans have of late adopted a punitive approach to crimes rather than the preventive approach. The language has completely turned punitive rather than preventive. In most of the European countries, policy-makers have inclined to a belief system that suggests that a zero-tolerance for crimes and a more punitive policy will restore and maintain public trust (Kury & Shea, 2011). As a result, the European society has appeared to move away from some crime preventive measures such as the juvenile justice systems, probation ad parole. For instance, following the general election of Britain in 1979, the conservative Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher instituted a more punitive approach in the criminal justice system. The move brought in a criminology system of beliefs similar to the American one. The American society has not been different, with the US remaining the world’s major democracy that still practices the death penalty in its criminal justice system.

In conclusion, the replication of American associated punitive policies and attitudes by the European countries has not been overrated. Indeed, it is true that the European countries are popularizing the notion of punitive policies against crime than preventive policies. In the American justice system, attitudes towards the minority groups such as the African Americans and the Latinos are prevalent, undermining the public safety aspect. Similarly, the European society has been characteristic of a media and public opinion that is biased against the ethnic minorities. In the past, the European countries such as Britain adopted a more crime-preventive approach characterized by juvenile strategies, probation, and parole. However, the recent developments in the justice system have seen the policy-makers adopt a more punitive approach. The replication of American punitive policies and attitudes in the European countries has, therefore, not been overrated.

References

Costelloe, T.M., Chiricos, T., Gertz, M., 2009. Punitive attitudes toward criminals: Exploring the relevance of crime salience and economic insecurity. Punishment and Society, 11(1), 25-49.

Green, E.G., Stearkle, C., & Sears, D.O., 2006. Symbolic racism and whites attitudes towards punitive and preventive crime policies. Law and Human Behavior, 30(4), PP: 435-454.

Kury, H., & Shea, E., 2011. Punitivty-International developments: Insecurity and punitiveness. Buchum: Brockmeyer Verlag.

Monterosso, S., 2009. Punitive criminal justice and policy in contemporary society. QUTLJJ, Vol 9, No 1, pp: 13-25.

The Sentencing Project., 2014. Race and punishment: Racial perceptions of crime and support for punitive policies. Washington, DC: Author.