Assignment of Punishment as a Function of the Severity and Consequences of the Crime and the Status of the Defendant1

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to determine the effects of two types of status on judges' sentencing decisions. One type emphasized the defendant's history of conformity (conformity status); the other emphasized his power (power status). Also examined were the crime's outcome for the group (activity significance), and its severity (degree of deviance). Subjects were 81 university students assuming the role of sentencing judge and presented with case descriptions of defendants. Higher levels of assigned punishment were significantly related to higher levels of degree of deviance and activity significance, and to lower levels of conformity status. Power status had no significant influence on punishment decisions. It is concluded that predicting differential treatment of defendants requires an understanding of several variables, and that the importance of status as a factor depends on the particular type of status involved.