Victim and Offender Perceptions of the Fairness of Restitution and Community-Service Sanctions (From Victims, Offenders, and Alternative Sanctions, P 63-70, 1980, Joe Hudson and Burt Galaway, ed. - See NCJ-74113)

• NCJ Number: 74118
• Author(s): S Novack; B Galaway; J Hudson
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Lexington Books
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This essay presents information from a survey of adult offenders and victims regarding their perceptions of monetary restitution and community service sentences, as well as of offender-victim meetings as part of a monetary restitution program.

Abstract

Subjects for the study were selected from 19 adult financial restitution and community service projects (residential and nonresidential) in the United States, sponsored by criminal justice and private agencies and operating at various levels in the criminal justice system. Survey samples were drawn from admissions to the 19 projects during a 5-month period. Two types of questionnaires were mailed to offenders and victims: they differed only on a few demographic questions. Areas covered included offender and victim perceptions of the fairness of financial restitution and community service, desirability of offender/victim contact, offender perceptions about the usefulness of community service experiences, and questions on what type of sanction the offender would choose if given a choice. Some conclusions reached by the researchers -- despite the low response rate in many of the projects -indicate that both offenders and victims regard mutual contacts as desirable, offenders perceive financial restitution added to incarceration as unfair, financial restitution and community service requirements are regarded as fair by both offenders and victims, and offenders completing community services view their experience as useful. Tabular data and three endnotes are provided.