The effect of recidivism attribution styles and rehabilitation beliefs on public attitudes toward prisoners’ social reintegrations

This study aimed to examine whether public attitudes toward the reintegration of offenders—an issue of ongoing concern in correctional administration—differ depending on attributional styles regarding recidivism (i.e., social process versus psychological/biological attributions) and perceptions of rehabilitative potential. An online survey was administered to adults aged 20 and above residing in South Korea, and responses from 172 participants were analyzed. The results indicated that higher perceptions of rehabilitative potential were associated with more positive attitudes toward offender reintegration. While neither social process nor psychological/biological attributions alone significantly predicted reintegration attitudes, a significant interaction effect emerged: the positive effect of perceived rehabilitative potential on reintegration attitudes was stronger among individuals who endorsed higher levels of social process attributions. These findings suggest that perceptions of rehabilitative potential play a more central role than causal attributions in shaping public attitudes toward offender reintegration, particularly among those who emphasize the social causes of recidivism.