NCJ Number
170477
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 59 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1998) Pages: 26-28,79
Date Published
1998
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) conducted a public opinion survey as part of its strategic plan to determine what citizens and the news media knew and thought about the FDC and its personnel.
Abstract
The FDC's Bureau of Research and Data Analysis created the survey, and the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) conducted telephone surveys. For the general public survey, the BEBR added 44 questions to its monthly survey of consumer attitudes of Floridians over 18 years of age. A total of 1,002 respondents were surveyed by telephone, and 936 individuals completed the survey. For the news media survey, the BEBR attempted to survey corrections or courthouse reporters from all 708 media outlets listed in the 1997 Florida News Media Directory; 366 responses were received. Survey results indicated both the general public and the news media had a limited understanding of many issues facing the FDC. Some areas of misunderstanding included the role of correctional probation officers, whether correctional officers carried guns, whether prisons were air-conditioned, and what percentage of sentences inmates served. Both the general public and the news media believed the FDC's mission was public safety, blacks made up the majority of Florida's prison population, and the majority of inmates worked. Many respondents thought prison crowding was the FDC's most pressing issue. Other pressing issues identified by respondents included early release, gain time, parole, lenient sentencing, and juvenile crime. In response to survey results, the FDC has initiated an educational campaign aimed at the general public and the news media to accurately portray the status of corrections in Florida. 2 tables and 1 figure