Reintegrative Shaming, Shame, and Criminal Justice.

Source: (2006) Journal of Social Issues. 62(2):327-346.

This study tested the implication of reintegrative shaming theory (RST) (Braithwaite,
1989) that social disapproval (shaming) has an effect on the emotions that offenders
feel. Interviews were conducted with 720 participants who had recently attended
a court case or family group conference in the Australian Capital Territory,
having been apprehended for driving while over the legal alcohol limit. Analyses
show that shame-related emotions were predicted by perceptions of social disapproval,
but that the relationship was more complex than expected. Differences
between the shame-related emotions may have implications for theory. Comparisons
between the court cases and family group conferences were consistent with
expectations that restorative justice interventions would be more reintegrative, but
also showed that they were not perceived as less stigmatizing. (author’s abstract)