Suchergebnisse

Domestic violence situations create tough choices between protecting an individual's safety and fostering family harmony and autonomy. Using a sample of 157 adult residents of Georgia, this study examines how the public wants the police and court to handle domestic violence situations. Respondents read a detailed story about a domestic violence situation and then recommended how the police and court should handle the situation. The majority of respondents wanted the police and the courts to provide referrals to marriage counseling; only 26% of the respondents recommended arrest when the wife had moderately severe injuries. Respondents based their preference for arrest or informal methods on their fairness and on their effectiveness at reducing conflict. These findings suggest that the public may still place more importance on rehabilitative justice than on retributive justice. Moreover, the public recognizes the victim's need for protection but still places much importance on family autonomy and harmony. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Drawing on learning and social psychological research, we identify the processes by which positive incentives induce compliance with regulatory laws, using tax as a specific example. We evaluate the likely effects of various positive incentives on four different dimensions of compliance decisions: instrumental consequences, normative considerations, internalized motivation, and allegiance to authority. Linking incentives specifically to compliant behavior invokes a cost/benefit analysis, lowers intrinsic motivation and allegiance to authority, and requires authorities to monitor citizens and to distinguish between compliant and noncompliant behaviors. The alternative is to present the incentives as an attempt by the enforcement authorities to cooperate with the citizens. This method is less likely to invoke cost/benefit calculations; requires less intervention by authorities; and increases intrinsic motivation, consideration of normative issues, and allegiance to authorities. Prior research suggests that respectful treatment and praise may be more effective incentives for inducing long‐lasting compliance than are materialistic incentives because people have a strong tendency to reciprocate actions they receive from authorities. Our analysis leads to proposals for program implementation and evaluation and raises some theoretical questions that need additional research.