NCJ Number
178252
Date Published
August 1999
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This is an overview of a survey of public opinion regarding the American criminal justice system.
Abstract
In November 1998, when 4,000 adults in nine northeastern States were surveyed about their views of the criminal justice system, three-quarters of them preferred totally revamping the system. This overview of the total survey results describes northeastern residents' personal experiences with crime and the criminal justice system. It compares the treatment that the public believes should be afforded to crime victims to the way the public believes crime victims are actually treated by the criminal justice system. It also compares those beliefs with victims' actual experiences. Finally, it explores the types of outcomes the public and crime victims want when an offender commits a particular type of crime. The survey found that both fear of crime and exposure to crime are widespread. Reducing crime and alleviating its effect on crime victims are major and personal concerns for the public, and there is a significant gulf between the public's expectations and the current performance of the criminal justice system.