NCJ Number
227277
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 49 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 384-398
Date Published
May 2009
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the effect of citizens' experience of the criminal justice system on their opinions of the criminal justice system in England and Wales.
Abstract
The analysis indicates that the effect of experience on attitudes towards the criminal justice system was limited. Despite the attention that has been paid to the role of experience and knowledge in assessments of the fairness, efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal courts, the findings did not always reveal that increased experience of the courts had a positive effect on user confidence. Because of the often held opinion that low levels of confidence in the justice system are due to a lack of knowledge, citizens' experience with the courts had received considerable attention in policy and research circles and it has been widely assumed that confidence could be increased through the rectification of false and incorrect perceptions. This assumption has reflected both a strong modernist belief in the effectiveness of education in changing opinions, as well as a conviction that the criminal justice system was actually functioning pretty well, but that citizens did not always see this. This article analyzes the effect of experience on attitudes towards the criminal justice system. Specifically, it examined evaluations of fairness, efficiency, and effectiveness of the criminal justice system. Tables and references