Pauline Aarten

Unknown, Unloved? Public Opinion on and Knowledge of Suspended Sentences in the Netherlands

Public opinion research shows that the general public tends to perceive noncustodial sanctions, such as suspended sentences, as too lenient while being largely ignorant about their nature. In two studies among representative samples of the Dutch population, the authors examine public opinion about and knowledge of suspended sentences in the Netherlands. Findings suggest that knowledge of suspended sentences is positively related to their perceived punitiveness and beliefs in their effectiveness. Furthermore, opinions about suspended sentences are related to general penal attitudes. More punitive attitudes translate into less favorable opinions. Finally, providing information about suspended sentences can lead to more positive attitudes and greater belief in their effectiveness.

Narrative in the study of victimological processes in terrorism and political violence : An initial exploration

ABSTRACT Narrative is intimately connected to victimization and radicalization. Trouble, the notion that drives narrative, is often coupled with victimization: the experience of suffering intentional harm. This experience can play a turning point in the stories that radicals construct about their own lives and thus play a role in their pathway to radicalization. In this article, three main themes of narrative will be further explored in relation to victimization and radicalization: identity, emotions, and culture. Central in this article is the discussion on how narrative can contribute to theory and research into victimological processes in radicalization, while offering new means to further develop key constructs.

Beyond retribution, restoration and procedural justice: the Big Two of communion and agency in victims’ perspectives on justice

ABSTRACT Victims’ perspectives on justice in the aftermath of crime are a key victimological topic. The main justice concepts that have received scholarly victimological attention are retributive justice, value restoration and procedural justice. In this paper, we argue that the so-called Big Two framework – agency and communion – can further help us understand victims’ experiences with justice. Agency refers to a person striving for individuality, while communion refers to the participation of the individual in and connection with a group. According to the framework outlined in this paper, we argue that victimization by crime involves an impaired sense of agency and communion, and justice can be viewed as an attempt to repair both these dimensions. Retributive justice is a prominent means to repair agency, but other options to do so are also open to the victim. A similar observation can be made about value restoration with respect to communion. Acknowledging this can be of particular importance in cases where no offender is apprehended. As to procedural justice, the framework emphasizes the need to distinguish process participation as a means to re-establish agency from participation to re-establish communion with representatives of society.

Stories of injustice: Towards a narrative victimology:

Narrative has become a popular approach in a number of disciplines, including, recently, that of criminology. In this paper, we contend that the study of crime and harm would benefit from a complementary yet distinct perspective of narrative victimology. We discuss key characteristics that illuminate victimological experiences as inherently moral, and hence best addressed through a narrative approach. These include the attribution of intent, the experience of having harm done to oneself, and the narrative implications of being victimized, culminating in the root metaphor of victimization as a historical event. We argue why the narrative approach is particularly suited to the study victimization and its aftermath, including the interaction with justice processes and social surroundings. Suggestions for future research are included.

Reconviction Rates After Suspended Sentences Comparison of the Effects of Different Types of Suspended Sentences on Reconviction in the Netherlands

Previous research has focused mainly on determining the effectiveness of suspended sentences compared with other sentences, and seldom on understanding to what extent the different types of suspended sentences reduce recidivism rates. This study examined reconviction rates of offenders (N = 1,258) who received fully or partly suspended prison sentences, with or without special conditions, in 2006 in two of the largest court districts in the Netherlands. Cox proportional hazard models revealed no difference in reconviction rates between fully and partly suspended prison sentences, with and without special conditions. However, suspended sentences without special conditions had significantly lower reconviction rates compared with special conditions that were solely control-orientated. Although there are indications that certain types of suspended sentences reduced reconviction rates more than other types, more rigorous research is still required.

Exploring public support for suspended sentences in the Netherlands

Using data from a representative sample of the Dutch population (n = 656), we examined to what extent confidence in the criminal justice system, punitive penal attitudes and political orientation relate to public support for suspended sentences. Mediation and moderation analyses were done to further explore the dynamics behind public support for suspended sentences. Results showed that confidence in the criminal justice system, punitive penal attitudes and political orientation were related to public support for suspended sentences. In addition, support was found for our mediation and moderation hypothesis. In our conclusion we illustrate the importance of examining these factors in determining public support for suspended sentences.

Stories as property: Narrative ownership as a key concept in victims’ experiences with criminal justice:

This article offers a novel approach to the difficulties experienced by victims in relation to their social surroundings in general, and to justice processes in particular, by expanding on an emerging paradigm of narrative victimology. For victims, ownership of their narrative is a key element of their experience, but this ownership is contested. The article brings together a body of victimological literature drawn from social and personality psychology, criminology and sociology to illuminate mechanisms underlying possible tensions between victims’ narratives and other perspectives on their ordeal. These tensions are relevant to understanding secondary victimisation in the criminal justice processes, as well as to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of restorative justice as a possible avenue for meeting victims’ needs.