NCJ Number
97738
Date Published
1979
Length
293 pages
Annotation
This codebook presents the results of a study of national attitudes towards courts and justice that was designed to measure perceptions of and experience with local, State, and Federal courts as well as general attitudes toward legal actors and the administration of justice.
Abstract
Study objectives were to (1) determine levels of public knowledge about courts; (2) test reactions to situations which might or might not prevent recourse to courts; (3) determine the incidence, nature, and evaluations of court experience; (4) describe and account for evaluations of court performance; (5) indicate attitudes toward legal actors; and (6) indicate reactions to alternative means of dispute resolution. Two samples were drawn for the study: a 'special publics' sample of judges, lawyers, and community leaders and a national sample of the general public. Sample design and weighting information is provided, file structure and data availability are explored, and study processing procedures are explained. Response frequencies are examined, and guidelines for reading the codebook information are offered. Finally, a variable description list is included. Appendixes provide questionnaires, special public interview sites, and addendum frequencies.