NCJ Number
61485
Date Published
1978
Length
246 pages
Annotation
THIS SECOND VOLUME OF A TWO-VOLUME REPORT OF A NATIONAL SURVEY OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND A SPECIAL PUBLIC REGARDING KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD THE COURTS REPORTS FINDINGS FROM THE SPECIAL PUBLIC SEGMENT.
Abstract
THE FOLLOWING SAMPLES WERE DRAWN FOR THE SURVEY: (1) THE GENERAL PUBLIC (N=1,931), STATE/LOCAL JUDGES (N=194), FEDERAL JUDGES (N=97), LAWYERS (N=400), COMMUNITY LEADERS WITH STATE/LOCAL ORIENTATION (N=278), AND COMMUNITY LEADERS WITH NATIONAL ORIENTATION (N=102). INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED IN PERSON DURING OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1977, USING ONE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND A SECOND QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE SPECIAL PUBLICS. ANALYSIS INCLUDED CROSSBREAKS BY DEMOGRAPHIC AND ATTITUDINAL VARIABLES AND MULTIVARIATE TECHNIQUES. IN THIS VOLUME, DETAILED FINDINGS ARE PROVIDED FOR THE SPECIAL PUBLIC IN THE AREAS OF AWARENESS OF COURTS, EXPERIENCE WITH COURTS, AND EVALUATIONS OF COURTS. INFORMATION DEALING WITH AWARENESS OF COURTS CONCERNS FAMILIARITY WITH COURTS, ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF COURTS, SOURCES OF INFORMATION ABOUT COURTS, AN AWARENESS AND GENERAL EVALUATIONS OF COURTS. DATA ON EXPERIENCE WITH COURTS DETAILS INCIDENCE OF INVOLVEMENT, REACTIONS TO COURT EXPERIENCE, EXPERIENCE AS A 'TEACHER,' AN EXPERIENCE AND EVALUATION OF COURTS. DATA ON EVALUATIONS OF COURTS CONSIDERS GENERAL EVALUATIONS, PERCEPTIONS OF RECENT CHANGES, PERCEPTIONS OF SPECIFIC COURT PROBLEMS, AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SENTENCING. THE SPECIAL PUBLICS GENERALLY EXPRESSED A DESIRE FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE COURTS; HOWEVER, THERE IS A LACK OF CONSENSUS ABOUT THE EXTENT OF REFORM AND THE REASONS GIVEN FOR REFORM. IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS FOR COURT REFORM ARE DISCUSSED, AND TABULAR DATA FROM THE SPECIAL PUBLICS QUESTIONNAIRE ARE PROVIDED, ALONG WITH SAMPLES OF QUESTIONNAIRE MATERIALS. (RCB)