Adaptation of attitudes towards punishment scale: The Penas-SP scale

Determining the attitude of the population towards punishment is essential for the generation of criminal laws, the application of sentences and the evaluation of the population's acceptance of their imposition. The aim is to adapt the scale of de Keijser et al. to the Spanish population. We collected data from 1220 participants. We conducted an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis. A slightly shortened version of the attitudes towards the penal system scale was developed, retaining the same factor structure. This version was labeled the PENAS scale in a Spanish population (PENAS-SP). Its factors are similar to those in the original scale, although the number of items was reduced, as the new scale consists of 24 items. The six factors are "Deterrence," which involves general prevention; "Desert," referring to the deserved suffering and "mistreatment" directed towards offenders; "Incapacitation," equivalent to the concept of severity of punishment proportional to the crime committed; "Moral Balance," which refers to punishment as a moral restitution of the offender to society; "Rehabilitation," and "Restorative Justice" (encompassing mediation and negotiation between offender and victim). This scale is intended for use in studies with Spanish-speaking samples.