Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Michael Karson

Second Advisor

Shelly Smith-Acuna

Third Advisor

Elizabeth Sather

Keywords

Criminal sentencing, Moral matrices

Abstract

Criminal sentencing in the United States has shifted over the years. This paper outlines the current role morality plays in the sentencing and punishment of criminals. Recent work in moral psychology points the way to a better approach. Jonathan Haidt’s moral matrices, from his book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, provide a signpost for more efficacious treatment of those on parole or under community supervision, overall contributing to the reduction of recidivism. In sum, Haidt’s work in moral psychology could lead to fairer sentencing and more effective treatment.

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Publication Statement

Copyright held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Extent

30 pgs



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