Redford, L. & Ratliff, K.A. Retribution as hierarchy regulation: Hierarchy preferences moderate the effect of offender socioeconomic status on support for retribution. **Notes:** - Only the cleaned dataset is provided because raw data files contain sensitive, confidential information (IP addresses and potentially-identifying demographic information). The data files are SPSS files. - For each study, SAS cleaning scripts provide a description of the process by which data were transformed from raw files to the available datasets.The cleaning scripts are SAS files. - The experiment files files were used to run the studies on Project Implicit. These can be used as a codebook to understand what items are available in the dataset. Use a text editor to open them (notepad, notepad++, komodo edit). **Abstract:** People punish others for various reasons, including deterring future crime, incapacitating the offender, and retribution, or payback. What causes people to differ in their reasons for punishing? The current research examines this question in light of offender status and hierarchy preferences, testing whether retribution is motivated by hierarchy-regulatory concerns. If so, then hierarchy-enhancers’ retributive tendencies should magnify when aimed at lower-status offenders. Thus, the current research tests whether support for retribution is based on both hierarchy preferences and offender status. Three studies show that people who prefer hierarchical societies have a stronger orientation toward retributive justice, a relationship that strengthens when criminal offenders are low in status. These findings clarify the purpose and function of retributive punishment. They also critically reveal how hierarchy-regulating motives underlie retribution, motives which, if allowed to influence judgments, may produce biased justice systems. Please contact the corresponding author Liz Redford (lizredford at ufl dot edu) with any questions, comments, or requests.