Aharoni Eyal, Nahmias Eddy, Hoffman Morris B, Fernandes Sharlene
Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA.
Department of Philosophy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2024 Sep 23;14(9):855. doi: 10.3390/bs14090855.
Prison sentences that exceed the natural lifespan present a puzzle because they have no more power to deter or incapacitate than a single life sentence. In three survey experiments, we tested the extent to which participants support these longer-than-life sentences under different decision contexts. In Experiment 1, 130 undergraduates made hypothetical prison sentence-length recommendations for a serious criminal offender, warranting two sentences to be served either concurrently or consecutively. Using a nationally representative sample (N = 182) and an undergraduate pilot sample (N = 260), participants in Experiments 2 and 3 voted on a hypothetical ballot measure to either allow or prohibit the use of consecutive life sentences. Results from all experiments revealed that, compared to concurrent life sentences participants supported the use of consecutive life sentences for serious offenders. In addition, they adjusted these posthumous years in response to mitigating factors in a manner that was indistinguishable from ordinary sentences (Experiment 1), and their support for consecutive life sentencing policies persisted, regardless of the default choice and whether the policy was costly to implement (Experiments 2 and 3). These judgment patterns were most consistent with retributive punishment heuristics and have implications for sentencing policy and for theories of punishment behavior.
超过自然寿命的监禁刑期令人费解，因为它们在威慑或剥夺犯罪能力方面并不比单一的终身监禁更有效。在三项调查实验中，我们测试了参与者在不同决策背景下支持这些超长刑期的程度。在实验1中，130名本科生针对一名严重刑事罪犯做出假设性的监禁刑期建议，该罪犯应服两项刑期，可同时服刑或连续服刑。实验2和实验3的参与者使用全国代表性样本（N = 182）和本科生试点样本（N = 260），就一项假设性投票措施进行表决，以决定是否允许使用连续终身监禁。所有实验的结果都表明，与同时服刑的终身监禁相比，参与者支持对严重罪犯使用连续终身监禁。此外，他们会根据减轻处罚的因素调整这些死后服刑年限，其方式与普通刑期并无二致（实验1），而且无论默认选择如何以及该政策实施成本高低，他们对连续终身监禁判决政策的支持都持续存在（实验2和实验3）。这些判断模式与报应性惩罚启发式最为一致，对量刑政策和惩罚行为理论具有启示意义。
