NCJ Number
166172
Date Published
1997
Length
48 pages
Annotation
An extensive public opinion survey on the subjects of crime and criminal justice in Massachusetts, based on telephone interviews with 400 registered voters in April 1997, indicates voters believe crime in Massachusetts has increased over the past few years.
Abstract
Voters feel illegal drug use has increased, are unequivocal about sending violent criminals to prison, believe State prisons are overcrowded, and favor building a new 1,000-cell prison. The Massachusetts criminal justice system gets mixed reviews from voters. Voters give the police relatively positive ratings but are quite negative when it comes to rating courts, the State prison system, and probation and parole. Voters hold a more complex, less simplistic view of the effectiveness of various crime control measures than is often assumed. Community policing and a greater emphasis on dealing with abused, neglected, and problem children top the list of crime control measures the public views as very effective in substantially reducing crime. Capital punishment for convicted murderers ranks only in the middle of a list of 25 items in terms of being very effective in reducing crime. For those seeking to maximize voter support for measures that focus on rehabilitation efforts for inmates and tighter control over probationers and parolees, voters indicate they need to be convinced the measures deal firmly with violent crime and violent criminals. The survey questionnaire is appended.