NCJ Number
183046
Date Published
January 2000
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of a 1999 telephone survey of 1,502 people throughout Queensland (Australia) regarding their knowledge and attitudes toward the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC).
Abstract
The CJC's mission is to promote integrity in the Queensland public sector and an effective, fair, and accessible criminal justice system. Overall, the results of the survey show that there is considerable public awareness of and confidence in the CJC. The great majority of respondents had heard of the CJC, and most were aware of its oversight role in relation to the Police Service and the public sector. There was a high level of agreement with the proposition that "the CJC is a good thing for the people of Queensland" and substantial support for the view that the CJC had been "fairly" or "very" successful in improving police conduct and tackling public sector corruption. The majority of respondents also agreed that the CJC was "fairly" or "very" independent from the police and the government. Although the overall results of the survey are positive, this and previous surveys have also identified several issues that require attention by the CJC. Only a minority of respondents to the 1999 survey were aware of the CJC's oversight role in relation to local government. Young people were generally less aware than older people of the existence and work of the CJC, and knowledge of the CJC was greater in Brisbane than in other parts of Queensland. 13 tables, 19 figures, 1 references, and 32 notes