NCJ Number
51032
Date Published
1976
Length
154 pages
Annotation
USING A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 500 HEADS OF HOUSEHOLDS IN SPOKANE, WASH., A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH LEAD TO APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTION PROGRAMS.
Abstract
THE STUDY FOCUSED ON FOUR CLASSES OF VARIABLES: DEMOGRAPHIC, IDEOLOGICAL ORIENTATION, SOCIAL DISTANCE (TOLERANCE FOR OFFENDERS), AND PROGRAM SUPPORT. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PUBLIC IS MORE APPROVING OF THE COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTION CONCEPT THAN DECISIONMAKERS IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM BELIEVE THEM TO BE. THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY BASED CORRECTIONS WAS WELL ACCEPTED: 83 PERCENT FAVORING WORK RELEASE PROGRAMS; 79 PERCENT TRAINING RELEASE PROGRAMS; AND 70 PERCENT HALFWAY HOUSES. RESPONDENTS WHO HAD BEEN VICTIMIZED SUPPORTED COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS MORE OFTEN THAN THOSE WHO HAD NEVER HAD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. MOST RESPONDENTS WERE SENSITIVE TO THE RE-ENTRY PROBLEMS OF THE EX-OFFENDER DESPITE THE SAMPLE'S STRONG LAW-AND-ORDER ATTITUDE. APPROVAL DECREASED CONSIDERABLY, HOWEVER, WHEN CERTAIN TYPES OF PROGRAMS WERE PROPOSED FOR THE RESPONDENT'S OWN NEIGHBORHOOD. APPROVAL DROPPED TO 35.8 PERCENT FOR A HALFWAY HOUSE, PRERELEASE CENTER, OR COMMUNITY CORRECTION CENTER IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND ONLY 11.3 PERCENT FELT NEIGHBORS WOULD APPROVE. THE DEGREE OF PROGRAM SUPPORT WAS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, HOWEVER, KNOWLEDGE OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S IDEOLOGICAL STANCE WITH RESPECT TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES AND HIS TOLERANCE FOR OFFENDERS CAN BE USED TO PREDICT THE ACCEPTANCE OF A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM. PROGRAMS WITH A STRONG WORK OR TRAINING COMPONENT ARE ALSO LIKELY TO RECEIVE GREATER ACCEPTANCE. POLICY IMPLICATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ARE DISCUSSED. TABLES PRESENT STUDY DATA. THE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE; SUMMARY TABLES, WHICH GIVE THE MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DATA, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE APPENDED. (GLR)