An integrative model of individual differences and attitudes on policy support: the psychology of hardline penal policy preferences in the United States

In the United States, mass incarceration is a prevalent issue within the criminal justice system. A major cause of this is the country’s continued shift for more punitive and harsh consequences to crime, despite the lack of evidence to support its overall improvement in crime prevention. A better understanding of why people support hardline penal policies is therefore vital. This study sets out to map the individual differences (victim sensitivity, right-wing authoritarianism, left-wing authoritarianism and collective narcissism) on specific attitudes (penal populism and tough-on-crime attitudes) which may lead to hardline penal policy support. Results indicated that victim sensitivity was associated with preferences for hardline penal policies indirectly through penal populism and tough-on-crime attitudes, whereas right-wing authoritarianism demonstrated both indirect effects through these attitudes and a direct association with policy support. The discussion focuses on the theoretical contributions of our model as well as policy implications and recommendations.