NCJ Number
201949
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2003 Pages: 322-338
Date Published
September 2003
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined public support for a separate criminal justice system for special needs populations.
Abstract
As population demographics change, an aging and increasingly disabled population inhabits correctional institutions. This type of population puts strains on an already strained correctional system, especially if the Americans with Disabilities Act is applied to prison settings. The author questions whether the establishment of an entirely separate justice system for aging and disabled offenders is the most appropriate way of handling such a problem. Using data from the 2001 Penn State Poll, the author examined whether there would be adequate public support for such a measure. The dependant variables under examination included either support for or opposition to a separate justice system for each of three special needs groups: mentally disabled, physically disabled, and aging. Results of univariate, bivariate, multivariate statistical analyses revealed that the public would support a separate system for mentally disabled offenders, would provide less support for the physically disabled, and little support for the elderly population. The author also discovered a significant positive relationship between education and support for separate systems of justice, indicating that public education and information campaigns would play a critical part in garnering public support for a separate system of justice for special needs populations. Tables, references