Do emotions impact decisions on punishment in the context of crime?

Anger is a key emotion in understanding public opinion towards crime and punishment: it is frequently mobilized in public discourse and is elicited by specific incidents. But what role do emotions play in questions of punishment for crime? In a new article published in Psychology, Crime & Law , a research team from McGill University, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and the University of Ottawa, were able to quantify for the first time that individuals deciding whether a criminalized person should be incarcerated, experienced an almost instantaneous emotional reaction. -We are very excited about these findings because it allows us to show when and how emotion emerges when making decisions regarding punishment for crime,- says lead researcher, Carolyn Côté-Lussier, a Professor of Urban Studies at INRS and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. This research was conducted at the INSPIRE Laboratory. An innovative approach in criminology. The researchers used a technology called facial electromyography (fEMG) to measure, in microvolts, the activation of muscles that are responsible for frowning. Participants (87 students) were asked to decide, whether or not, a pictured individual should be given a prison or non-prison sentence.