This article examines data from a 1991 national public opinion survey on attitudes toward juvenile crime/justice. Specifically, it explores the relationship between demographic variables and opinions toward trying juveniles in adult courts, giving them adult sentences, and sentencing them to adult prisons. The findings indicate that a majority of typical respondents favor trying juveniles in adult courts for serious felonies. Additionally, punitive attitudes toward juveniles decrease up to a certain age, usually around 50, and then increase. Findings also show that African-American parents are more supportive of punitive juvenile justice policies than other racial/ethnic groups with and without children.

Previous studies indicate that people who are low in self-esteem are more prejudiced (i.e., more negative about outgroups) than people who are high in self esteem. It is not clear from this research, however, whether low self-esteem individuals derogate outgroups relative to the ingroup (i.e., whether they show ingroup favoritism or ethnocentrism). In an experiment using the minimal intergroup situation paradigm, it was found that both high and low self-esteem subjects show ingroup favoritism, although low self-esteem subjects rated both the ingroup and the outgroup more negatively than did high self-esteem subjects. There was no evidence for greater ingroup favoritism among low self-esteem subjects. The results are discussed in terms of the distinction between prejudice and ethnocentrism and the self-enhancing functions of ingroup favoritism.

Prognostic/epidemiologic study, level III; Therapeutic study, level IV.