Attitudes towards the penal system, ideology and dark traits

Abstract

Background: This study examines the relationship between dark personality traits and attitudes towards punishment. Aims: Considering the evidence, we propose two hypotheses to be tested in this study: Of four dark tetrad traits, Machiavellianism will be the most strongly related to punitiveness (deterrence, incapacitation, desertion and moral balance); high scores in conservatism/right-wing ideology will be positively related to deterrence, incapacitation, desert and moral balance attitudes. People with a liberal/left-wing ideology will score higher in restorative justice and rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: The study sample was composed of 1552 participants from Spain and Latin America (Mexico, Colombia and Peru). Participants responded to an adaptation of penal attitudes scale, the Short Dark-Tetrad Questionnaire and a political ideology scale. Results: The results indicated that among demographic characteristics, ideology was the best predictor of penal justice attitudes, whereas Machiavellianism surpassed other dark traits as a predictor. Discussion: No previous research examined how De Keiser et al. scale of attitudes towards criminal justice relates to dark personality and ideology. This research shows that dark personality predicts punitiveness and how Machiavellianism plays a relevant role. Future research could also combine Big-Five ‘bright personality’ variables and since Dark Personality variables. Conclusion: Of the four dark personality traits, Machiavellianism is the strongest predictor of all punitiveness penal attitudes (deterrence, incapacitation, desertion and moral balance). Conservative/right-wing ideology is related to punitive attitudes; however, rehabilitation and restorative justice were unrelated to ideology.