Harsh Punishment Research Articles

Shove Less, Nudge More: Stakeholders’ Perspective from Writing Classrooms

Academic writing courses are critical in higher education. However, they often rely on directive measures, or "shoves," that impose rigid guidelines, high-stakes assessments, and punitive consequences. These approaches, such as inflexible deadlines and harsh grading penalties, can increase student anxiety, disengagement, and surface learning. As a result, some students resort to unethical strategies, such as using essay mills or AI-generated content. This qualitative study, conducted through interviews with 20 writing professors and 30 students, identified several common shoves in academic writing courses and explored their negative impacts on student engagement and academic integrity. The findings highlight critical areas of concern, including strict rubrics, high-stakes deadlines, standardized feedback, and plagiarism threats. In response, the study proposes a shift from punitive shoves to supportive nudges, categorizing the latter into intuitive and didactic interventions. These nudges, such as automated deadline reminders, scaffolded assignments, and ethical AI usage prompts, aim to foster more positive student behavior and engagement. The next phase of this research will investigate how these behavioral nudges influence learning outcomes and student well-being.

MỐI QUAN HỆ GIỮA HÀNH VI TRỪNG PHẠT THỂ CHẤT CỦA CHA MẸ VÀ HÀNH VI GÂY HẤN CỦA VỊ THÀNH NIÊN: VAI TRÒ TRUNG GIAN CỦA SỰ GẮN BÓ KHÔNG AN TOÀN

This study examines the relationship between prior parental physical punishment and future aggressive behavior in children, as well as the mediating role of anxious and avoidant attachment in the relationships. Using an 8-month longitudinal study design, data were collected at 3 waves, with a 4-month interval across waves. 762 students participated at Wave 1 (Mage = 12.1 (SD = 1.14), 48% female). The number decreased to 484 at Wave 2 and 368 at Wave 3. The Harsh Punishment was used to measure physical punishment at Wave 1, the Experiences of Close Relationship (short version) was used to measure avoidant and anxious attachment at Wave 2, and the Aggression Scale was used to measure aggressive behavior at Wave 3. Results showed that parents' physical punishment behavior significantly predicted the development of future aggressive behavior, and that anxious attachment played a mediation role in the relationship. These findings suggest the urgent need for developing measures to treat physical punishment and parent-child attachment as a solution to effectively address the prevalence of school violence in Vietnam.

Diversion or death? The moral framework shaping bifurcated punishments for drug offences in Indonesia

Background As the UN urges states to move from harsh punishments for drug offences towards treatment programmes, Indonesia has adopted a bifurcated penal policy. Most of those convicted are sentenced to imprisonment or death, but some ‘minor’ offenders are diverted to drug treatment centres. We explore the moralities that shape drug policy, justice professionals’ interpretation and application of laws and policies, and judgements about who is deserving of diversion. Methods We draw on experiences and perceptions of 136 Indonesian criminal justice professionals, through in-depth qualitative interviewing and focus groups, to reveal the moral landscapes shaping policy and practice. Results Justice narratives blur penal concerns with moral judgments about drug offending, with normative responses shaping punishments in law and practice. While there is some compassion for ‘minor’ drug offenders, driving rationales for diversion, drug traffickers are regarded as morally deserving of prison and capital punishment, with traditionalist perceptions of harm amplified by a purgative rationale. Conclusion This article highlights the analytical potential of moralities such as ‘compassion’ and ‘traditionalism’ in criminal justice research and policy in Southeast Asia. Understanding the formation and navigation of these normative values may assist in challenging harsh penal policy in Indonesia and the wider region.

Exploring individual-level predictors of punitive attitudes in Australia

ABSTRACT Western countries tend to display preferences for the harsh punishment of people with criminal justice involvement. Drawing on a representative survey of the Australian population, the present study explores punitive attitudes and what factors shape the development of these attitudes at an individual level. More specifically, the study considers the role of age, sex, level of education, geographic location, perceptions of crime, fear of crime, confidence in the criminal justice system, media consumption, crime causation, beliefs in redeemability, interpersonal trust, political ideology, racial essentialism, and minority threat in predicting the punitive attitudes of Australians. The results indicate that generally Australians are somewhat punitive and that the strongest predictors of these attitudes are: internal attribution of crime, perceptions of rising crime rates, a lack of belief in redeemability, geographic location (specifically rural areas), a lack of interpersonal trust and a lack of support for multicultural principles together, creating a more robust understanding of punitive attitudes in Australia, which is currently lacking.

The Role of the Law in Protecting Individuals from Electronic Blackmail

The main idea centers on describing the role of the law in defending people against the phenomenon of electronic blackmail by defining the term, outlining its types and characteristics, and outlining the role of the law in combating this phenomenon. This is because laws will inevitably be created to address the enormous advancements in technology and human behavior that have coincided with these advancements. The real problem, which is the incapacity to prosecute those who commit these electronic crimes, has emerged because of the tremendous scientific advancement in the field of technology. This has led to the emergence of new patterns and a new class of criminals who have taken advantage of these sciences and modified them to serve their criminal goals. Crime has gone up, as it has in every nation on the planet. Recent years have seen instances of electronic extortion in Egypt, and judges find it challenging to prosecute these contemporary crimes—especially the offense of electronic extortion. The Egyptian lawmaker demanded prompt action to update the legislation against information technology crimes, include provisions for electronic blackmail, and impose harsh punishments on anyone who engage in such behavior. The psychological and social effects to which individuals are exposed to electronic blackmail were also discussed, and we touch on the impact of these effects on the psychological health and social relationships of individuals. In conclusion, the importance of legal safeguards for victims of cyber extortion in Egypt cannot be overstated, given the ever-changing landscape of cybercrime and the inherent challenges it poses to traditional legal systems. It is necessary to review Egypt's current legal framework. Strict protocols must be established for reporting cases of blackmail against members of society to ensure their protection under Egyptian law.

Exploring Factors Influencing Absenteeism and Academic Performance: A Study on Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) Classes

This study delves into the various factors influencing absenteeism and academic performance among children enrolled in Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) classes. Data was collected through fieldwork in 2011, focusing on demographics, attitudes of parents and teachers towards ECPE classes, methods used for retention of learners, roles of teachers in children’s performance, causes of absenteeism, and proposed solutions. The analysis revealed that poor teaching methods, inadequate structures, long distances to schools, weak administration, absenteeism of teachers, and harsh punishments contribute significantly to absenteeism among ECPE learners. These factors impact the academic performance of absentees, leading to subpar educational outcomes. Additionally, positive attitudes towards ECPE classes were found to correlate with better academic performance, emphasizing the importance of a conducive learning environment. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to address these challenges, including the elimination of harsh punishments, establishment of more schools to reduce travel distances, penalties for absent teachers, and the adoption of effective teaching methods. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve attendance and enhance academic performance in ECPE classes. Keywords: Absenteeism, Academic performance, Early Childhood and Primary Education

How conservative groups fight liberal values and try to ‘moralize’ the European Court of Human Rights

AbstractThis paper analyses the growing litigation before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) by conservative European Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) who exploit legal opportunities and other advocacy tactics. These actors oppose the liberal insistence on permissive individual freedom, minority rights and mandatory vaccination. Instead, they promote the sanctity of life, traditional values and harsh terrorism penalties. In this study we show that conservative legal mobilisation is not only related to litigation but also covers the execution of certain ECtHR judgments and the nomination of some European judges. We analyse their tactics using legal and sociolegal methodology (interviews, analysis of legal documents and jurisprudence and network analysis) to characterise their influence on the European human rights system and the reactions of the Council of Europe. We reflect on the moral values claimed by conservative NGOs and their liberal counterparts by analysing how powerful private actors, driven by material and moral interests, take creative initiatives that shape or reshape case law and its politicisation through alliances with so-called ‘illiberal’ and ‘populist’ states.

Killer Corporations: Changing Student Attitudes on Corporate Crime Using an In-Class Exercise

The purpose of this paper is to share a teaching exercise on corporate deviance and an assessment of its effectiveness. A pre/posttest survey was utilized to investigate the impact of the exercise on student attitudes concerning corporate deviance. In particular, the project was intended to teach students about the serious nature of corporate crimes. While Americans think corporate crime is a serious issue, they tend to resist giving harsh penalties to corporate criminals. This exercise illustrated that even when corporations commit serial murder, they often get light punishments compared to those individuals who have committed similar crimes. Ultimately, the purpose of the exercise was to illustrate the disparity in punishment for similar crimes. The assessment of the exercise indicated support for our hypotheses. There was an increase in the percentage of students that think corporate deviance should be treated more similarly to street crime from the pre to the posttest.

Emotional Competences in Adolescents Exposed to Colombian Armed Conflict During Their Childhood

AbstractObjective: Analyse the mediation role of emotional competences on behavior problems in adolescents exposed to Armed-Conflict Childhood Adversities (ACCA). Method: Families with adolescent children who studied in three schools in the municipality of Soacha, Colombia, were invited to participate in the study. One hundred and sixty-one participants were selected and pooled into three groups according to their Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scores: lower-ACE (LACE), higher-ACE (HACE), and ACCA using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire for Adolescents (ACE-QA). The Emotion Recognition Task, the Empathy for Pain Task, and the Child Behavior Checklist assessed teenagers’ emotional functioning. Results: Teenagers exposed to ACCA more frequently experienced childhood adversities such as domestic violence, child abuse, and parental neglect. Moreover, these adolescents were less accurate in discriminating angry faces, reported higher control perception after social stressors, were more rigorous in punishing those who intentionally harmed others, and showed more internalizing behavior problems. In the mediational model, we found that: the control perception after social stress mediated the reduction of depressive symptoms in adolescents with ACCA history. Additionally, inaccuracy in perceiving angry faces and harsh punishment toward behaviors that intentionally harm others mediated the presence of thinking problems, anxiety, and rule-breaking behaviors. Conclusions: Colombian adolescents who experienced ACCA showed specific changes in their emotional competences, which mediate the parental report of behavioral problems. These results indicate the need for more focused interventions aimed at improving the emotional competences and mental health of adolescent victims of armed conflicts.

Convenience propositions for white-collar offenders: Perceptions of seriousness in Romania

Perception of white-collar crime seriousness varies from unfortunate incidents that can be excused to a major crime that needs harsh punishment. Students at a university in Romania were asked about their perceptions of seriousness. On a scale from 1 (not serious) to 7 (extremely serious) most students responded by very serious (6) on most questionnaire items. Responses indicate that individual greed to benefit the person is the most serious, while a rational choice of crime is the least serious. This study concludes that students consider white-collar crime to be less serious when people involved use financial wrongdoings as a last resort to avoid personal/organizational bankruptcy. they seem more indulgent when financial crime is a result of omission/concealment of criminal activity.

Harsh punishment and aggressive behavior in vietnamese adolescents: The role of gender of parents and adolescents

Harsh punishment and aggressive behavior in vietnamese adolescents: The role of gender of parents and adolescents

Your Typical Criminal: Why White Americans Hate Voter Fraud

Abstract Public concerns about voter fraud are widespread and are frequently cited to justify new voting restrictions and harsh punishment for violators. But to what extent do beliefs about a perpetrator’s identity shape public support for efforts to prevent and punish voter fraud? Antipathy toward racial and ethnic groups is a strong predictor of public beliefs about voter fraud. Yet, prior studies have only been able to approximate beliefs about deviant behavior, and not specifically casting an illegal ballot. Drawing from sociology and criminology, we use a “typification” strategy that more directly measures which people are perceived as typical perpetrators of casting illegal ballots. We utilize nationally representative surveys of US voters in the 2017–2020 modules of the Cooperative Election Study to apply and empirically test the typification theory. Among white respondents, we find that the typification of racially minoritized groups such as Blacks, Latinos, Arabs, and immigrants as illegal voters is widespread and is strongly associated with beliefs about voter fraud, support for restrictive election policies, and harsh punishment of illegal voting. The pictures of likely criminals that white voters carry in their heads shape their preferences for crime policies, and this extends to the domain of voter fraud.

X. „Eycke von Repkow war kein Revolutionär“ – Festrede von Hilde Benjamin am 28. Juni 1959 im Eike-von-Repgow-Dorf Reppichau

Summary The village Reppichau in Sachsen-Anhalt, situated near the towns Dessau, Köthen and Aken (former principality of Anhalt), is closely connected with Eike von Repgow – the author of the most famous mediaeval German law book “Saxon Mirror” (Sachsenspiegel). The law book was written by him between 1220 and 1235. Based on this fact, representatives of science, politics and justice periodically organized in collaboration with the villagers anniversary celebrations, for example 1934 (700st year of the death of Eike von Repgow) and 1959 (800st year of the first documented mention of the village Reppichau). So it happened that the minister of justice of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Hilde Benjamin (1902–1989), held a keynote speech in Reppichau on 28 June 1959. She was one of the leading representatives of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany during the early years of the GDR. She became famous as a presiding judge in political show trials with court rulings including exceptionally harsh punishments up to the death penalty. This women, who was also known as “Red Hilde” or “Bloody Hilde”, used the opportunity of her speech in Reppichau in order to integrate Eike von Repgow, the Saxon Mirror and the villagers into the ruling ideology of the early GDR. Furthermore, she attacked the NATO in general and the Federal Republic of Germany in particular with propaganda phrases. The text of this speech, representing an interesting example of contemporary legal history, is edited here for the first time based on an original copy.

Detecting gene-environment interactions from multiple continuous traits.

Genetic variants present differential effects on humans according to various environmental exposures, the so-called "gene-environment interactions" (GxE). Many diseases can be diagnosed with multiple traits, such as obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. I developed a multivariate scale test (MST) for detecting the GxE of a disease with several continuous traits. Given a significant MST result, I continued to search for which trait and which E enriched the GxE signals. Simulation studies were performed to compare MST with the univariate scale test (UST). MST can gain more power than UST because of (1) integrating more traits with GxE information and (2) the less harsh penalty on multiple testing. However, if only few traits account for GxE, MST may lose power due to aggregating non-informative traits into the test statistic. As an example, MST was applied to a discovery set of 93 708 Taiwan Biobank (TWB) individuals and a replication set of 25 200 TWB individuals. From among 2 570 487 SNPs with minor allele frequencies ≥5%, MST identified 18 independent variance quantitative trait loci (P < 2.4E-9 in the discovery cohort and P < 2.8E-5 in the replication cohort) and 41 GxE signals (P < .00027) based on eight trait domains (including 29 traits). https://github.com/WanYuLin/Multivariate-scale-test-MST.

Teachers' Punishment Intensity and Student Observer Trust: A Moderated Mediation Model.

During social interactions, people decide whether to trust an actor based on their punitive behaviour. Several empirical studies have indicated that punishment intensity impacts observer trust, yet the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. This study included 242 junior high school students and was conducted to investigate the relationship between teachers' punishment intensity and levels of student bystander trust. Additionally, the mediating role of trustworthiness and the moderating role of group relationships were explored. The results showed that the relationship between punishment intensity and observer trust follows an inverted U-shaped pattern. In addition, mild punishment boosts observer trust by improving perceived trustworthiness (ability and integrity) compared to no punishment, while harsh punishment reduces observer trust more than mild punishment by diminishing perceived trustworthiness (ability, benevolence, and integrity). More importantly, group relationships positively moderate the relationship between punishment intensity and observer trust. Specifically, compared to mild or no punishment, harsh punishment decreases trustworthiness (ability, benevolence, and integrity) in close teacher-student relationships but has less impact on neutral relationships. The above findings demonstrate that guiding educators in developing appropriate disciplinary concepts contributes to enhancing student observer trust.

The Dynamics of Anti-Corruption Campaigns in China: An Empirical Study of the Official Rank-Punishment Nexus in the Context of Political and Legal Changes

ABSTRACT Along with the escalating corruption problem in China comes the Chinese government’s continuous effort to combat corruption. The increased intensity, duration and scope of anti-corruption campaign over time culminated with Xi’s effort to fight both ‘tigers’ and ‘flies’ during his administration. Despite growing research interests, few empirical studies took a dynamic approach to compare the effect of Xi’s campaign with that of his predecessors. Based on 2,034 cases, this study investigates judicial sentencing and its correlation with official ranking within a continuum of anti-corruption initiatives that spanned over several decades, incorporating the effect of both political changes (administration transition from Hu to Xi) and legal changes to the Criminal Law. The findings cast doubt on the claimed severity of Xi’s campaign relative to that of Hu’s but lend support to more visible and harsher punishment against the tigers than the flies. Our study sheds invaluable light to the ongoing debate about the relationship between official ranking and judicial punishment in the discussion of potentially effective strategies against corruption.

Does parental use of harsh discipline and punishment in response to ambiguous child situations vary by child physical abuse risk?

Background/objectivesThe present study investigated the extent to which fathers and mothers at high-risk and low-risk for child physical abuse (CPA) differed in their use of harsh discipline and punishment when presented ambiguous child situations (situations where differences in positive and negative valences are close to zero). Participants/methodsHigh-risk for CPA parents (N = 74: fathers, n = 41; mothers, n = 33) and low-risk parents (N = 178: fathers, n = 91; mothers, n = 87) were asked to indicate their likelihood of using harsh verbal discipline (HVD), harsh physical discipline (HPD), and punishment (i.e., retributive harm separate from HVD and HPD) after viewing each of eighteen ambiguous child situations. ResultsAs expected, high-risk, compared to low-risk, for CPA parents were significantly (ps < 0.001) more likely to use HVD (d = 0.546), HPD (d = 0.595), and punishment (d = 0.564). Overall, fathers, relative to mothers, were significantly more likely to use HVD (d = 0.261) and HPD (d = 0.238). For punishment, however, there was no significant parental role (father, mother) difference (d = 0.136). ConclusionsSince in everyday living situations many child behaviors are ambiguous, the findings that parents, especially high-risk for CPA parents, use harsh discipline and punishment when encountering ambiguous child situations suggest that non-contingent harsh child-related parental behaviors may be frequent in the lives of some children. The findings that parents may use non-contingent discipline and punishment suggest the need to explore whether, when these parenting behaviors occur, they increase the likelihood of negative child outcomes.

Legislative policy to criminalizing human trafficking in anti-trafficking law in Saudi Arabia

This research discusses one of the most important crimes against humanity, where national and international statistics and reports revealed that the bad living conditions or bad troubled situations have forced thousands of women, children and men in their countries to be susceptible to the trafficking and exploitation. The study has been divided into two main sections. The first section presents concept of the trafficking in persons in international charters and conventions, reasons, seriousness and elements of the crime in general. The second section studies the Saudi lawmaker's addressing the crime in terms of definition, forms, prescribed penalty and reasons for augmentation of penalty. The study has concluded to a set of results and recommendations, the most important of which is that the Saudi lawmaker adopted position of the international conventions in defining crime and determining its forms. Moreover, the Kingdom has also made great strides in combating this type of crime at both international and local levels. The study recommended the need to impose harsh penalties on employers, who practice patterns of forced slavery to their workers, as well as the need to intensify efforts in order to take adequate measures to prevent smuggling the illegal labor.

“If we don’t take them off our streets, they’re going to continue to prey on innocent people.”

Mass incarceration and high rates of recidivism in the United States have long been discussed in the scientific literature. A punitive culture has fostered harsh punishments and incarceration without considerable effects on recidivism rates. At the same time, research has indicated that rehabilitative measures and treatment programs for offenders have positive effects on their reintegration into society and help to reduce recidivism rates. In the present study, the discourse surrounding recidivism in the New York Times and the New York Post is investigated with a corpus of 666,290 words. The analyses indicate that the New York Times encourages a discussion of rehabilitative measures and adopts a view of recidivism that highlights recidivists’ potential for change. The New York Post, on the other hand, takes a more conservative approach and adopts a more dire view of recidivists, considering recidivism as a character trait rather than an indicator for the relative success of rehabilitation programs.

Sexism, abuse and threatening behaviour: experiences of women football referees in amateur and semi-professional men’s football in the UK

ABSTRACT Recent events in football, such as the all-female officiating team of Stéphanie Frappart, Neuza Back and Karen Díaz at the 2022 men’s World Cup, and the coverage of England’s Lionesses in UEFA Women’s Euro, have raised the profile of women in football. Despite this, literature has demonstrated the difficulties faced by women who officiate football. Experiences include being subject to sexism and abuse, and belittling language from players, coaches and parents of young players. This research presents experiences from seven women who referee men’s football in the UK. Participants referee at varying levels, from grassroots to semi-professional football. Participants chose to be part of observation and interviews or complete a qualitative questionnaire with the potential for follow-up questions. A number of Foucault’s ideas were then used to analyse and explain data. Findings demonstrate experiences of sexist language and abuse, sometimes related to traditional gender roles or incompetence of women referees, and sometimes represented as extreme and threatening behaviour. Additionally, some women in this study expressed the pressure of representing all women football officials when they were completing the qualification and later when refereeing. Despite these obstacles and the frequent ‘othering’ of women referees within the football environment, their persistent involvement and occasional overt challenges to remarks or actions demonstrated their resistance to dominant discourses and the normalising judgements, showcasing the ability and determination of women officials. Overall, more support, including mental health support, needs to be available for women who referee football at all levels. Harsher punishments should be administered for those that harass or threaten women, and clear and effective structures should be in place to address women’s experiences of harassment, ensuring that women feel confident in making complaints and are assured by the resulting actions taken.