Public Opinion, Crime, and Criminal Justice

Abstract

Research on public knowledge has found that the public knows little about crime or the criminal justice system including crime-related statistics such as crime rates, recidivism rates, and average sentences. Members of the public have little familiarity with specific laws or with their legal rights. Although some research shows that most people favor the imposition of harsher sentences on convicted offenders, more refined research reveals that the public is not more punitive than the judiciary. Research on crime seriousness reveals substantial consensus between different groups and over time. Policymakers and criminal justice professionals believe attitudes to be harsher than they are. A priority for the criminal justice system is to dispel misperceptions of crime held by the public and misperceptions of public attitudes held by professionals and policymakers.