The theory of symbolic politics, which posits that political acts are viewed as symbols conveying a political meaning that are an end unto themselves, is used to examine the elements of criminal justice policy in third political party platforms. It is hypothesized that third political parties use their political platforms to make symbolic, rather than substantive, statements. Data were collected from a variety of sources presenting third party platforms to assess the political language used from 1872 to 2004. A content analysis of these platforms offers some support for the use of symbolic language by third political parties.
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