Crime, Criminal Justice, and Public Opinion

Abstract

Abstract Public opinion plays a vital, at times determinant, role in the evolution of criminal justice policy and practice. This is true for most Western nations, but particularly for the United States. Politicians frequently cite (not always accurately) the views of the public in support of various policies. This has been true in the areas of gun control, parole, drugs, and above all sentencing reform. Sentencing commissions at the state and federal levels acknowledge the importance of developing guidelines consistent with community sentiment. Sometimes this is acknowledged by commission staff; occasionally it is explicitly stated within a formal commission publication. Specific sentencing laws such as the “three-strikes” laws mandating long periods of imprisonment for offenders convicted of a felony for the third time were passed in large measure in the name of growing public concern about recidivist, violent offenders.

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