Date of Award
Spring 6-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department/Program
Forensic Mental Health Counseling
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Mark Fondacaro
Second Reader
Charles Stone
Third Advisor
Evan Auguste
Abstract
Restorative Justice has been an emerging justice mechanism in the U.S. since the 1970s that advocates are working to expand more widely throughout the justice system. Due to victims and the broader community of the offender being an integral part of the Restorative Justice process, it is critical to consider the general public's support of this novel justice mechanism, as well as the influence that social biases among the public may have on the experience of defendants going through the system. The study conducted examined the effect that social biases toward an offender's personal characteristics have on attitudes and opinions toward the offender, the crime committed, and the utilization of Restorative Justice as an alternative to traditional justice methods. To measure this relationship, we employed a factorial design to investigate the effects of three main characteristics—race, socioeconomic status, and mental health status of the offender—and their impact on participants' willingness to utilize restorative practices. We expected that offenders with such characteristics would be perceived more negatively and their crimes rated as more severe—particularly when multiple stigmatizing traits are present. We further hypothesized that these perceptions would mediate the relationship between offender characteristics and recommendations for restorative justice. Results found that over 50% of participants recommended a combination of restorative and traditional justice methods. Contrary to expectations, stigmatizing characteristics increased rather than decreased willingness to recommend restorative justice. Perception mediated the relationship between offender characteristics and justice recommendations, and restorative justice attitudes were a significant predictor across all analyses. These findings suggest that bias influences willingness to employ restorative justice and that the presence of stigmatizing characteristics may alter how stigma is processed, rendering individuals less punitive when alternative options are available.
Recommended Citation
Haynes, Kiara, "Investigating Potential Bias in Public Acceptance of Restorative Justice: The Influence of Situational and Offender Characteristics" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/384
Included in
Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Psychology Commons
