Crime, Public Opinion, and Civil Liberties: The Tolerant Public

• NCJ Number: 181808
• Author(s): Shmuel Lock
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 266 pages
• Sale Source: Praeger Publishers
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This book offers evidence that the public is not as intolerant of civil liberties for criminal defendants as one might expect based on continued reporting by the media of the public's strong support for the death penalty.

Abstract

The author emphasizes the importance of educating the public, primarily because members of the public elect politicians who nominate judges and voters at times elect judges directly. He compares mass and elite opinions with each other and with specific U.S. Supreme Court decisions and discusses causal influences on public attitudes in the context of criminal justice. The goal of the book is to provide information that will help social scientists explain public views that may seem intolerant. Additional information on public attitudes and opinions and on criminal procedures is incorporated in five appendixes. References and tables