NCJ Number
74398
Date Published
1976
Length
39 pages
Annotation
This study includes descriptive data representing the orientation toward correctional issues among a sample of Washington State residents and an examination of the relationship between perceived political efficacy and items measuring interest and attitudes toward correctional policies and prison reform among the sample.
Abstract
Data were collected during 1975 from a random sample, using a self-administered questionnaire. Completed questionnaires were received from 1,121 persons, yielding a response rate of 81 percent. Topics covered in the survey instrument included standard demographic items, political affiliation, interest in prison policies and reform, and knowledge regarding the State corrections system. Persons who responded to the mail questionnaire appeared to be fairly representative of the State's population in most demographic respects, (sex, age, income). Approximately 13 percent of the respondents felt that the State's prison system was working well, 49 percent felt that it was not, and 38 percent were undecided. Interest in prison policies and reform was professed by 79 percent of the sample, while 5 percent were not interested, and 16 percent were undecided. A total of 83 percent felt that an educational program to inform the community concerning prison reform issues was needed. Rehabilitation was the goal most strongly endorsed by the sample. Overall, policies which may be termed 'progressive' were favored by over 50 percent of the respondents. Community-based corrections received a fairly strong endorsement. Analysis reveals that political efficacy, as measured in this study, is not a theoretically significant determinant of attitudes toward correctional issues. Sixteen footnotes, 10 tables, and approximately 35 references are included in the study.