Punitiveness of Polish Society - A Variable or Permanent Trait?
Punitiveness of Polish Society - A Variable or Permanent Trait?

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the results of a survey on the punitiveness of Polish society, commissioned by the Institute of Justice in Poland. Punitiveness was measured using several indicators, including in regard to the introduction of penalties such as life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty into the Penal Code. The same indicators were used to measure punitiveness in studies conducted in previous years. This enabled a comparison of the results, which showed that the respondents in the most recent surveys were less punitive although this may be related not so much to an actual change in societal attitudes as to different methodology used in the studies. The research also made it possible to analyse the factors determining this intensity, e.g. the strength of the relationship between socio-demographic factors and punitiveness. However, the analysis did not reveal a direct relationship between these dependencies.

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