Beliefs in Free Will and Determinism and Lack of Relation to Punishment Rationale and Magnitude

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Abstract
College juniors and seniors were asked to read brief accounts of four different types of felonies (premeditated murder, robbery, arson, and manslaughter). Following each account, the students were asked to specify the punishment they would recommend for the individual found guilty of such a felony. Students were then asked to specify whether the goals of their recommended punishments were retributive (e.g., to inflict pain) or utilitarian (e.g., to reform the defendent). Students also responded to a test designed to assess their beliefs in free will or determinism. Results indicated that libertarians were no more retributive than were determinists. Retributive and utilitarian goals were, however, strongly related to the nature of the felony (e.g., retribution was the preferred goal for premeditated murder, whereas utilitarian goals were chosen for the other three felonies). Reliable relationships were not found between magnitude of recommended punishments and beliefs in free will or determinism.