Some experts argue that attitudes toward criminal punishment are difficult to change, whereas others claim that the public, if given the facts, would be less punitive. This study used a pretest-posttest survey design to examine the effects of a university corrections course on attitudes toward the punishment of offenders, and compared subject responses to those of a comparison group enrolled in another criminology course. Students answered knowledge questions and specified punishment choices for crime scenarios. The findings indicate the course as a whole had a significant effect on punishment choices, but specific knowledge change was not the crucial factor in decreasing punitiveness.
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