| Note: The analysis in this report is the sole responsibility of John Doble Research Associates, Inc. and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation or any policy maker, government official or state agency within the State of North Carolina. |
| Prepared for: The N. C. State-Centered Project and The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation | John Doble Research Associates, Inc. 375 Sylvan Avenue Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (201) 568-7200 |
To explore public opinion in North Carolina, we first conducted a series of four focus groups across the state in June 1995. Each group, lasting two hours, consisted of a cross section of adults chosen to reflect the adult population in terms of age, gender, and education level. Groups were held in Durham, Greenville, Charlotte and Asheville to ensure geographical representation. The group in Durham was made up of only African-American respondents, while the other three reflected a cross section of the community. Results from the focus groups were analyzed and a series of hypotheses developed for testing in phase two, the telephone survey.
Working with Tulsa Surveys, a nationally known interviewing firm, we interviewed, by telephone in August 1995, a total of 810 North Carolina adults, age 18 or older, reflecting a cross section of the state's population. The sample was a random or probability sample, drawn using scrambled telephone numbers so that every household in the state had an equal chance of being called. We used a larger sample to enable us to explore with greater statistical confidence the views of people in different parts of the state. (For a more complete description of the methodology used, see Section XII Methodology.) Interviews lasted an average of 25 minutes. Respondents were first asked about crime and its causes, then to assess the criminal justice system and corrections policy, and whether the state should make greater use of community-based sanctions or alternative sentences. The sampling error for each item is plus or minus 4 percentage points, at a confidence interval of 95 percent.
This report integrates the survey results with comments from the focus groups. In addition to an Executive Summary, we include two summary tables: "Glossary of Terms" and "Summary Table: What North Carolinians Want From Corrections."
| Note: Some tables compare the North Carolina results with results from similar studies conducted in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Vermont, Oregon and Oklahoma over the past six years. The major themes are strikingly similar. But where differences exist, it is unclear whether attitudes in North Carolina are different from those in other states or whether U.S. public opinion as a whole has shifted since the studies were conducted, especially in view of the recent media focus on violent crime as opposed to the prominence of the "war against drugs" a few years ago. That is, if they were surveyed today, people in Alabama might feel differently than they did in 1989. In view of the volatility of public opinion about certain aspects of this issue, readers are advised to take into consideration differences in geography and state experience, along with shifts in the national mood when comparing results. |
2. Large numbers also think that violent crime, juvenile crime, and illegal drug use are increasing.
3. A number of North Carolinians speak from experience. Nearly one in four said that within the past five years, they or a member of their immediate family had been a crime victim. Similarly, 1 family in 11 was reportedly victimized by a violent crime.
5. People in North Carolina have similar beliefs about the causes of crime as do people in Oregon, Oklahoma and other states.
7. North Carolinians overwhelmingly support truth-in-sentencing. The idea of bringing time served into conformity with what a judge hands down in court is very popular. When people learn that truth-in-sentencing would also mean longer sentences for violent offenders, support increases to near unanimity.
8. North Carolinians solidly support the idea of "structured sentencing."
10. North Carolinians see four goals for corrections: they want a sentence to deter would-be criminals while simultaneously punishing offenders, rehabilitating them, and requiring them to make restitution. When asked to rate the system -- and here again, the rating North Carolinians give actually applies to the entire American criminal justice system --- North Carolinians hand out low marks for each goal.
11. North Carolinians believe that almost anyone convicted of a violent crime using a gun or a knife should be sent to prison. But only one in ten believes that actually occurs. Of the violent offenders who are sent to prison, the vast majority, North Carolinians believe, do not serve the full sentence given by the judge.
12. Nearly two-thirds of the people in North Carolina believe most prison inmates are idle all day, instead of working productively at a prison job. About two-thirds believe that after a stay in prison, offenders are more dangerous, not less.
13. Taken together, these beliefs are a major source of public discontent with the corrections system. They also fuel public support for using alternative sentences or community-based punishments.
15. While a large majority says that prison sentences should be longer, North Carolinians are split about whether that would have much effect on the crime rate.
16. North Carolinians feel that juveniles who are 15 or older and commit a very violent crime should receive the same sentence as an adult.
17. North Carolinians believe that offenders who successfully complete drug or alcohol treatment are not rehabilitated most of the time. Yet North Carolinians overwhelmingly favor providing such treatments for any offenders in need, even if that means higher spending.
18. Large majorities also favor psychiatric treatment for every mentally ill offender and ensuring that every inmate has a chance to earn a high school diploma, even if that means increased spending,.
19. North Carolinians are split about the use of day fines (a fine based on the value of one day's wages), with a sizable minority, 40 percent, strongly opposed to the idea.
21. North Carolinians' support for using alternatives is deep as well as broad, with nearly 9 in 10 strongly favoring much greater use of restitution and about 8 in 10 favoring much greater use of community service, boot camp, and intensively supervised probation (ISP).
22. When asked how the state should deal with prison overcrowding, North Carolinians' first preference is to make greater use of alternative sentences. While 84 percent also favor using capital punishment more often with murderers, overwhelming majorities reject building more prisons if that means paying for them by either cutting social services or raising taxes.
23. North Carolinians are enthusiastic supporters of alternatives, even though people do not believe that offenders sentenced to an alternative are usually rehabilitated.
24. North Carolinians' favorite alternatives are boot camp, restitution, and community service. The more passive, control-centered alternatives such as the halfway house and house arrest are comparatively much less well regarded.
26. There is an array of cases in which North Carolinians want to use alternatives instead of incarceration, including a burglar who steals $2,000, an addict caught selling cocaine, a man caught shoplifting for the third time, a man convicted of statutory rape, and a man who beat up his wife.
27. There are four cases where North Carolinians are split about alternatives or incarceration. From the focus groups we know that in such cases, people generally want more details about the offender and the offense before determining whether to incarcerate.
28. North Carolinians do not necessarily want to incarcerate every violent offender. Most want to know the details of the case before determining whether an offender should go to prison.
29. While North Carolinians want to be tough on drug dealers, large numbers do not want to incarcerate offenders in a wide variety of property crimes.
30. When calling for the use of alternatives, the most popular sentencing option changes, depending on the offense and offender. In effect, North Carolinians want to make the punishment fit the crime.
Table 1--Beliefs About Crime in North Carolina | |
| Compared to five years ago, crime in North Carolina is: | Per cent agree |
| increasing | 81% |
| about the same | 14% |
| decreasing | 1% |
| not sure/don't know | 4% |
"Having a shooting in Asheville is not unusual anymore." Asheville man.
"I was surprised when I moved down here at how much crime there is. When I watch the evening news, I feel like I'm back in New York." Charlotte woman.
"[Crime] is increasing every day." Durham woman.
In North Carolina, people are about as likely to say crime is increasing as were people in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Oregon.
Table 1a--Beliefs About Crime In North Carolina Compared to Other States | |||||||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | VT 94 | PA 93 | DE 91 | AL 89 | |
| Crime is increasing | 81% | 79% | 78% | 62% | 71% | 49% | 83% |
Table 2--Beliefs About Violent Crime in North Carolina | |
| Per cent agree | |
| increasing | 80% |
| about the same | 14% |
| decreasing | 2% |
| not sure/don't know | 4% |
"I just heard on the news about a 2-year-old who was [caught up in a drug-related crossfire and] shot on her porch." Durham woman.
"In my neighborhood, there is a lot of shooting going on. I'm scared of bullets coming through the window at any time." Greenville woman.
"We're getting serious crimes like drive-by shootings." Asheville woman.
In North Carolina people are about as likely to believe that violent crime is increasing as were people in Oklahoma and Oregon.
Table 2a--Beliefs About Violent Crime In North Carolina Compared to Other States | |||||||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | VT 94 | PA 93 | DE 91 | AL 89 | |
| Violent crime is increasing | 80% | 76% | 77% | 60% | na | na | na |
Table 3--Beliefs About Juvenile Crime in North Carolina | |
| Per cent agree | |
| increasing | 85% |
| about the same | 10% |
| decreasing | 1% |
| not sure/don't know | 5% |
"It's the young people I'm worried about." Greenville woman.
Fear of juvenile crime is about as high in North Carolina as it was in Oklahoma and Oregon.
Table 3a--Beliefs About Juvenile Crime In North Carolina Compared to Other States | |||||||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | VT 94 | PA 93 | DE 91 | AL 89 | |
| Juvenile crime is increasing | 85% | 90% | 88% | na | na | na | na |
Table 4--Beliefs About Illegal Drug Use in North Carolina | |
| Per cent agree | |
| increasing | 67% |
| about the same | 23 |
| decreasing | 3 |
| not sure/don't know | 7 |
"Drugs are a big problem and the main cause of a lot of crime." Charlotte woman.
"[The crime] all goes back to drugs." Greenville woman.
"Right behind the police station they sell drugs." Asheville woman.
"I went to drop off my daughter at school and she said don't go up that street because everybody will hit you up to buy drugs." Asheville woman.
North Carolinians are more likely to say illegal drug use is increasing than are people in other states.
Table 4a--Beliefs About Illegal Drug Use Crime In North Carolina Compared to Other States | |||||||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | VT 94 | PA 93 | DE 91 | AL 89 | |
| Illegal drug use is increasing | 67% | 52% | 52% | 51% | 50% | 50% | na |
Table 5--Recent Crime Victims in North Carolina | |
| Per cent total | |
| Yes | 23% |
| No | 77% |
"My house was broken into." Durham woman.
"[Criminals] stole a lot of our inventory about three months ago." Asheville man.
"I'm scared of bullets coming through the window at any time." Greenville woman.
"We had two ladies murdered last year. They never found out who killed one of them who left a three-year-old daughter. But the second lady, her neighbor killed her, and that was right where we live. It was shocking to walk out your door and to see a taped-off murder scene, especially because we live out in the country." " Durham woman.
"I live in the projects and it's getting rough over there. Especially robbery and drug-related crime." Greenville woman.
North Carolinians were somewhat less likely to be victims than were people in Oregon and Oklahoma.
Table 5a--Recent Crime Victims in North Carolina Compared to Other States | |||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | |
| Yes, crime victim in family | 23% | 30% | 27% |
Table 6--Violent and Nonviolent Crime Victims in North Carolina(Asked of the 23% who answered "Yes" to the question shown in Table 5, above) | |
| Per cent total | |
| Yes | 9% |
| No | 14% |
"My brother was killed last year, shot in the mouth trying to break up a dispute." Asheville woman.
"I've lived in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. But it wasn't until I moved down here that I was held up at gunpoint, at the mall at 11 a.m. with my son." Charlotte woman.
"I was the victim of an armed robbery and a car theft." Durham man.
Table 6a--Violent and Nonviolent Crime Victims in North Carolina(Asked of those who answered "Yes" to the question shown in Table 5, above) | |||
| Statement | NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 |
| Yes, a violent crime | 9% | 10% | 6% |
Table 7--Beliefs About the Causes of Crime | |||
| Per cent very important | Per cent fairly important | Percent not that important | |
| Parents who don't teach children the difference between right and wrong | 89% | 8% | 2% |
| Illegal drug use | 85% | 13% | 2% |
| Not enough emphasis on basic moral training and values in schools | 71% | 19% | 8% |
| Breakdown of family, especially among poor | 66% | 21% | 12% |
| Judges who are too lenient | 63% | 25% | 10% |
| Not enough emphasis on basic law and order | 56% | 31% | 11% |
| Alcohol abuse | 55% | 33% | 10% |
| Lack of education/poor schools | 55% | 29% | 15% |
| Not enough prison space | 50% | 25% | 22% |
| Poverty and economic hardship | 45% | 34% | 21% |
| Unemployment | 42% | 33% | 23% |
| Not enough police | 39% | 33% | 25% |
About the breakdown of the family, how parents raise children, and a general erosion of social civility.
"There seems to be more anger among people against their own family, and that's frightening to me." Charlotte woman.
"We have got to think about the children because that's our future. If we don't get our kids straightened out, we're doomed." Asheville woman.
"When I was in other countries in the Navy, everybody knew what they were supposed to do, and they'd do it. [Those countries] were crime free. Here, we are brought up differently." Durham man.
About the loss of community.
"Twenty-five years ago, all of us lived in neighborhoods where we knew each other well and you could leave the doors open and unlocked. All that's gone. The attitudes of people has changed since then." Charlotte man.
About changing values.
"People are more selfish today. We all think our problems are the only problems." Asheville man.
Table 8--Views About the Causes of Crime in North Carolina Compared to Other States | ||||||
| Very Important Cause | Per cent that agree | |||||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | VT 94 | PA 93 | DE 91 | |
| Parents who don't teach difference between right and wrong | 89% | 85% | 86% | 86% | na | na |
| Illegal drug use | 85% | 80% | 72% | 69% | 93% | 94% |
| Lack of moral training | 71% | 70% | 67% | 59% | na | na |
| Breakdown of family | 66% | 63% | 67% | 69% | 70% | 71% |
| Lenient judges | 63% | 62% | 59% | 49% | 44% | 39% |
| Not enough emphasis on basic law and order | 56% | 55% | 67% | 50% | 50% | 39% |
| Alcohol abuse | 55% | 57% | na | na | na | na |
| Lack of education/poor schools | 55% | 48% | 60% | 63% | 65% | 67% |
| Not enough jails/prisons | 50% | 48% | 59% | 50% | na | na |
| Poverty/economic hardship | 45% | 46% | 50% | 54% | 64% | 63% |
| Not enough jobs | 42% | 44% | 44% | 56% | 68% | 54% |
| Not enough police | 39% | 36% | 38% | 41% | 37% | 28% |
Table 9--Beliefs About How Police Treat People | |
| Do the police: | Per cent agree |
| treat rich people better than poor people | 68% |
| treat everyone equally, rich and poor, alike | 24% |
| treat whites better than blacks or native Americans | 47% |
| treat everyone equally, blacks, native Americans and whites alike | 39% |
Table 9a--Beliefs About How Police Treat People | |||
| Do the police in North Carolina: | Per cent whites agree | Per cent blacks agree | Per cent native Americans. Hispanics, etc. agree |
| treat whites better than blacks or native Americans | 44% | 64% | 67% |
"A black cop told me about a call he [and his white partner] got about a man fighting. They didn't catch him, just two [black] guys wrestling who said they weren't fighting. The white cop slammed them down onto the hood of the car. Then the black cop got mad." Durham man.
But the majority of whites did not agree.
It's not so much black and white as rich and poor." Greenville man.
"It's the blacks who commit most of the crimes." Charlotte woman.
"Even Jesse Jackson admitted he's more afraid of a group of black teenagers coming at him on a deserted street late at night [than a group of white teenagers]." Asheville woman.
Table 10--Beliefs About How the Court System Treats People | |
| Does the court system: | Per cent agree |
| treat rich people better than poor people | 75% |
| treat everyone equally, rich and poor, alike | 19% |
| treat whites better than blacks or native Americans | 39% |
| treat everyone equally, blacks, native Americans and whites alike | 47% |
About rich and poor:
"A rich person's going to get off a little easier, and that's not right." Greenville man.
"If I kill somebody, I won't be put to death. I'm smart enough to get a lawyer and a psychiatrist who's say I went 'ga-ga' -- criminal insanity or something like that. But a person who's poor and uneducated [who commits an identical crime] isn't going to get all that." Greenville man.
"I think the judicial system in this country is a joke. Those with money get off a lot easier than the average guy." Asheville man.
About the treatment of Caucasian, African, and Native Americans:
"[A white drug dealer], even a kingpin, gets to stay out for years and years. If he's black, it's a different situation." Durham man.
Table 10a--Beliefs About How the Courts Treat People | |||
| The courts in North Carolina | Per cent whites agree | Per cent blacks agree | Per cent native Americans, Hispanics, etc. agree |
| treat whites better than blacks or native Americans | 36% | 53% | 48% |
"Our system allows for too much plea bargaining and sentences where the judge says, '20 years' but they only do 3. That all says to the criminal: 'You don't really have to worry. You'll get charged with something less and not [be punished or] have to go to prison.'" Charlotte man.
Table 12--Views About Structured Sentencing or Sentencing Guidelines | |
| Structured sentencing is: | Per cent agree |
| a good idea | 83% |
| not a good idea | 14% |
| not sure | 3% |
| QUESTION: "Another change is called "structured sentencing" -- guidelines for judges to make sure offenders with similar records who commit the same crime receive roughly the same sentence, no matter who the judge is or where the crime occurred. Do you favor structured sentencing EVEN IF it means that judges have less control over the sentences they give to offenders?" | |
Table 12a--Views About Structured Sentencing or Sentencing Guidelines(Demographic Comparisons) | |
| Structured sentencing is a good idea: | Per cent agree |
| TOTAL | 83% |
| men | 84% |
| women | 83% |
| 18-29 | 82% |
| 30 and over (average, all other age groups) | 83% |
| Charlotte | 85% |
| Triangle area | 76% |
| Triad area | 80% |
| Asheville and West | 93% |
| Eastern North Carolina | 86% |
| Other Piedmont | 80% |
Table 13--Overall View of the Performance of the North Carolina Corrections System | ||
| In an overall sense, rate the job being done by North Carolina's corrections system | Per cent agree | |
| excellent | 2% | =25% |
| good | 23% | |
| only fair | 52% | =61% |
| poor | 19% | |
Table 14--Opinions About the Corrections Systems Compared to Other States* | |||||
| Corrections is doing | Per cent that agree | ||||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | PA 93 | DE 91 | |
| Good/excellent job | 25% | 26% | 29% | 13% | 21% |
| Only fair/poor job | 61% | 72% | 66% | 68% | 59% |
| * Question wording in Pennsylvania and Delaware was slightly different: "How do you rate the job being done by the jail and prison system." | |||||
Table 15--Views About the Goals of the Corrections System | |||
| Possible goals | Per cent that agree | ||
| Very important | Fairly important | Not that important | |
| Punish offenders | 89% | 9% | 1% |
| Require offenders to pay back their victims or society | 87% | 10% | 3% |
| Discourage would-be criminals from breaking the law | 86% | 12% | 2% |
| Rehabilitate offenders so they will become productive members of society | 68% | 22% | 8% |
Prison should punish offenders.
"I want prison to be an unpleasant experience. Prison is for punishment. They're there to learn how to act civilly in society." Durham woman.
"[Inmates] ought to be punished hard enough so that next time they think about getting in trouble, they'll think about prison life and say, 'Forget it!" Greenville man.
"Lots of people [not in prison] don't have HBO or Cinemax. Why should [inmates] get what we can't?" Greenville woman.
"They have TV, their meals, weight lifting -- it's too easy." Asheville woman.
"They shouldn't eat prime ribs and have their wives come for the weekend." Charlotte woman.
"I realize that you have to give [inmates] a certain amount of space and other kinds of basics, but what we do now is out of line." Charlotte man.
Inmates should work and, by so doing, pay society back for the cost of incarceration.
"If they're building roads and saving the state money, maybe the prison would get a kickback or the inmate gets some money. Then maybe a TV in the rec room." Charlotte man.
"Sports should be a privilege they could earn." Charlotte man.
"You do the crime, you do the time -- but not by sitting on your tushy, watching TV." Asheville woman.
Prison should deter would-be criminals from breaking the law.
"We have got to deter crime [by handing down longer sentences for violent crimes]." Asheville woman.
"Eventually you will stop [drug dealing] if you get stiff on [dealers who are convicted]." Durham man.
"We should give [armed robbers] 20 to 25 years. If they serve some serious time, they may think twice before they go out and do it again." Asheville woman.
Prison should rehabilitate.
"I don't think anybody should be just confined. All of them need job training or education, and [those with drug or alcohol problems need] treatment." Durham woman.
"I support the idea of rehabilitation. Give them a chance to see if they can get straightened out." Greenville man.
"We should get [inmates] some kind of training so they'll be ready to get back to society. If we don't prepare them, we've defeated the purpose of putting them in." Charlotte man.
"Set up something so they come out [of prison] with a trade. The people who don't want to get jobs, or don't have the skills to get jobs, are the ones that are repeating." Greenville woman.
"If [inmates] sit around all day or even do only hard labor, they're not going to have learned anything when they get back out on the street; they won't have [developed] a better way to live. And so they'll just go do something worse." Charlotte woman.
Table 16--Views About the Performance of Corrections in Terms of Achieving Its Goals | ||
| Rate corrections in terms of: | Per cent that agree | |
| punishing offenders | ||
| excellent or good | 28 | |
| only fair | 45% | =66% |
| poor | 21% | |
| discouraging would-be criminals | ||
| excellent or good | 16% | |
| only fair | 41% | =79% |
| poor | 38% | |
| rehabilitating offenders | ||
| excellent or good | 15% | |
| only fair | 44% | =77% |
| poor | 33% | |
| requiring offenders to pay back victims/society | ||
| excellent or good | 10% | |
| only fair | 28% | =81% |
| poor | 53% | |
"They have it better than some of us. Weights, cable TV, phones, field trips -- it's not prison, it's summer camp." Charlotte woman.
"Prison's full of dope, let's face it. So [prison] ain't going to stop [addicts] because they can get it there anyway." Greenville man.
"If we weren't giving them so much free stuff, we could afford to hire more guards." Greenville woman.
"The idea of prison used to conjure up [the image of] guys swinging sledgehammers and cracking rocks. Now they have three hot meals a day, televisions, conjugal visits. We need to get rid of our Dr. Spock-attitude and make these guys pay for what they did." Asheville man.
"Some of them will want to go back to prison because it's an easier life [than what they face on the outside]." Greenville man.
"We can spend money to incarcerate [offenders] again and again, or we can give them an opportunity to develop that self-worth, that says I'm somebody who can do something." Charlotte man.
Table 16a--Views About the Performance of Corrections In Achieving Its Goals,North Carolina Compared to Other States | ||||
| The job done by corrections is only fair or poor in terms of: | Per cent that agree | |||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | PA 95 | |
| making offenders pay back their victims/society | 81% | 82% | 71% | 82% |
| discouraging would-be criminals | 79% | 78% | 78% | 87% |
| rehabilitating offenders | 77% | 78% | 72% | 85% |
| punishing offenders | 66% | 78% | 68% | 82% |
Table 17--Beliefs About the Sentence That Should Be Given to Violent Criminals | ||
| "How often should anyone convicted of a violent crime using a gun, knife or force be sent to prison?" | Per cent that agree | |
| almost all the time, almost no exceptions | 83% | =95% |
| most of the time, depending on circumstances | 12% | |
| about half the time, depending on the circumstances | 3% | =4% |
| less than half the time | 1% | |
"In the case [of an armed robbery and shooting], he should serve a minimum of eight years. He hurt someone and could have killed him." Charlotte woman.
"Eight years isn't long enough." Charlotte man in reply.
"This is really a case of attempted murderer. An attempted murderer should get 25 [years in prison], no parole, none of this getting out in 2 years." Asheville woman.
"Stealing is not that big a deal. But once [offenders] hurt somebody, that's a much bigger problem than shoplifting." Asheville man.
Table 18--Beliefs About the Sentences That Are, In Fact, Given to Violent Criminals | ||
| "In North Carolina today, how often do you think someone convicted of a violent crime using a gun, knife, or force is, in fact, sent to prison?" | Per cent that agree | |
| almost all the time, almost no exceptions | 8% | =25% |
| most of the time, depending on the circumstances | 17% | |
| about half the time, depending on the circumstances | 41% | =72% |
| less than half the time | 31% | |
Attitudes in North Carolina are similar to other states.
Table 18a--Beliefs About the Sentences That Are, In Fact, Given to Violent CriminalsNorth Carolina Compared to Other States | ||||
| How often is someone convicted of a violent crime actually sent to prison? | Per cent that agree | |||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | VT 94 | |
| almost all/most of the time | 25% | 24% | 27% | 46% |
| half the time or less | 72% | 75% | 66% | 48% |
Table 19--Beliefs About the Sentences That Violent Criminals Actually Serve | ||
| "In North Carolina today, how often do criminals convicted of a violent crime USING A GUN OR KNIFE serve the full prison sentence the judge gives them?" | Per cent that agree | |
| almost all the time, almost no exceptions | 3% | =7% |
| most of the time, depending on the circumstances | 4% | |
| about half the time, depending on circumstances | 23% | |
| less than half the time | 34% | =68% |
| almost never | 34% | |
"A murderer [from our town] was sentenced to ten years in prison and he'll probably serve, what -- maybe two? Then he'll be back on the streets to kill somebody else. He had a prior felony conviction too -- assault with a deadly weapon." Asheville woman.
"We are letting [offenders] out early because of overcrowding, not because of good behavior." Charlotte woman.
"It all comes down to the system. The cost and all these layers in between create the costs and the overcrowding." Charlotte man.
"The judges can't even sentence [some of the most dangerous offenders to prison] because there's no room for them." Charlotte man.
Table 20--Beliefs About Prison Life | |
| BELIEF--In North Carolina, most prison inmates: | Per cent that agree |
| sit around all day, watching TV and playing cards | 63% |
| OR | |
| work in prison jobs and attend school programs | 24% |
"Some prisons can almost be fun to some people." Asheville woman.
"It's just like hotels." Charlotte woman.
"I read about a prison in Massachusetts that shows violent, R-rated movies. This is prison? If they're violent prisoners, they shouldn't see violent movies." Charlotte woman.
"The basketball courts and TV sets -- that's a waste of my money." Durham man.
Table 21--Beliefs About Prison Life | |
| BELIEF--When the majority of inmates get out of prison in North Carolina, they are: | Per cent that agree |
| LESS DANGEROUS because they've learned their lesson or been rehabilitated | 19% |
| OR | |
| MORE DANGEROUS because they've been hardened by their experience | 64% |
"If you stick [an offender] in prison for a long time, all he's going to do is make connections." Asheville man.
"Why put [nonviolent offenders] in prison when statistics show that [when] we put people into a bad atmosphere, they come out with more aggression?" Greenville woman.
"Put an 18-year-old into prison and he'll become a criminal for life." Asheville man.
Table 22--Summary Table: Why North Carolinians Are Unhappy with the Criminal Justice System | |
| Beliefs About Corrections | Per cent that agree |
| Because of overcrowding, large numbers of dangerous criminals are released before serving their entire sentence | 86% |
| Corrections does at most only a fair job at making offenders pay back their victims or society | 81% |
| Corrections does at most only a fair job of deterring would-be criminals | 79% |
| Corrections does at most only a fair job of rehabilitating offenders | 77% |
| The courts treat rich people better than poor people | 75% |
| Those convicted of violent crimes using a gun or knife are usually not sent to prison | 72% |
| The vast majority of violent offenders do not serve the full prison sentence given by the judge | 68% |
| The police treat rich people better than poor people | 68% |
| Corrections does at most only a fair job at punishing offenders | 66% |
| Prison makes offenders more dangerous upon release because they're hardened by their experience | 64% |
| Prison terms are too short, should be longer | 64% |
| Overly lenient judges are a major cause of crime | 63% |
| Prison inmates sit around all day, watching TV and playing cards instead of working productively | 63% |
| Police treat whites better than blacks or native Americans | 47% |
Table 23--Views About Policy Changes In View of Accompanying Trade-offs | ||
| Per cent that FAVOR | Percent that OPPOSE | |
| Make sure every prison inmate works hard at a productive job at least 40 hours a week EVEN IF this requires hiring more guards and is more expensive than what we do now | 91% | 7% |
| Make sure there is enough prison space so violent criminals are never released early because of overcrowding EVEN IF THIS means building new prisons and paying for them by higher taxes or spending cuts in areas like education | 90% | 8% |
| Sharply reduce or eliminate how often inmates can watch television or movies EVEN IF this makes them more dangerous to supervise | 74% | 22% |
"I want to put [violent offenders] in prison [and keep them there] until they're not going
to commit a crime again." Charlotte woman.
"If they behave themselves, hold out TV-watching as a reward." Greenville man.
"As long as you got to pay to put him up anyway, let's put him somewhere where he can learn to do things that are productive." Durham woman.
"Not busy work. Just good hard physical labor, which is something most of them probably aren't used to. But they may gain a sense of reality and also feel good about being able to accomplish something." Asheville woman.
Table 24--Whether Prison Sentences Should Be Longer | |
| "Should prison terms be longer, shorter or about same as they are now?" | Per cent that agree |
| longer | 64% |
| shorter | 1% |
| about the same | 27% |
"You've got people coming [back to prison] four or five times. That's ridiculous! They should have to stay longer the first or second time." Durham man.
Table 24a--Beliefs About the Effects of Longer Prison Sentences | |
| Would longer prison terms: | Per cent that agree |
| Cut crime because criminals will see that breaking the law means a long sentence | 50% |
| Have little or no effect because most criminals think they won't get caught | 47% |
Table 25--Age When Juveniles Committing Very Violent Crimes Should Be Sentenced as Adults | ||
| "At what age do you think juveniles who commit very violent crimes like armed robbery should receive the same sentence as adults?" | Per cent that agree | |
| 17 years old or older | 21% | =70% |
| 16 years old | 31% | |
| 15 years old | 18% | |
| 14 years old | 13% | =28% |
| 13 years old | 7% | |
| 12 years old | 8% | |
| not sure | 3% | |
Table 26--Rate of Rehabilitation for Drug Treatment Programs | ||
| For every 10 addicts who complete a drug treatment program, how many are successfully rehabilitated? | Per cent that agree | |
| a solid majority (7 of 10 or more) | 3% | |
| about half (5 or 6 of 10) | 22% | |
| a sizable minority (4 of 10) | 11% | =69% |
| a definite minority (3 of 10 or fewer) | 58% | |
| not sure/don't know | 7% | |
Table 26a--Views About Policy Changes In View of Accompanying Trade-offs | ||
| Per cent that FAVOR | Per cent that OPPOSE | |
| North Carolina should sentence any offender addicted to drugs to mandatory treatment EVEN IF this is more expensive than what we do now | 84% | 16% |
"If you put addicts in [a center], they won't be out on the street to rob and kill you. I'd freely give money [to build more centers] to save my life." Greenville woman.
"I'd say, let's give an offender [drug or mental health] treatment to get him straightened out so he knows what he is doing." Greenville woman.
"I'd pay for drug treatment. Everyone [who's addicted] deserves that much." Charlotte woman.
Table 27--Rate of Rehabilitation for Alcohol Treatment Programs | ||
| For every 10 alcoholics who complete an alcohol treatment program, how many are successfully rehabilitated? | Per cent that agree | |
| a solid majority (7 of 10 or more) | 8% | |
| about half (5 or 6 of 10) | 30% | |
| a sizable minority (4 of 10) | 12% | =58% |
| a definite minority (3 in 10 or fewer) | 46% | |
| not sure/don't know | 4% | |
Table 27a--Views About Policy Changes In View of Accompanying Trade-offs | ||
| Per cent that FAVOR | Per cent that OPPOSE | |
| Sentence any offender addicted to drugs or alcohol to MANDATORY treatment EVEN IF this is more expensive than what we do now | 84% | 16% |
"If they're an alcoholic, they need to be in a rehab program as part of their punishment and rehabilitation." Asheville woman.
"Addiction is a medical problem and it can be taken care of. It's a crime problem, but it's also a medical problem." Charlotte man.
Table 28--Rate of Rehabilitation for Prison Inmates | ||
| For every 10 offenders who go to prison, how many are successfully rehabilitated? | Per cent that agree | |
| a solid majority (7 of 10 or more) | 4% | |
| about half (5 or 6 of 10) | 28% | |
| a sizable minority (4 of 10) | 13% | =62% |
| a definite minority (3 in 10 or fewer) | 49% | |
| not sure/don't know | 5% | |
Table 28a--Views About Policy Changes In View of Accompanying Trade-offs | ||
| Per cent that FAVOR | Per cent that OPPOSE | |
| Provide psychiatric treatment for every mentally ill inmate EVEN IF this is more expensive than what we do now | 79% | 19% |
| Make sure every inmate has a chance to get a high school diploma EVEN IF this is more expensive than what we do now | 71% | 27% |
"I'd pay for drug treatment or mental health treatment for a paranoid schizophrenic. That's different than the recreation centers or the college degrees. Everybody deserves medical treatment, no matter what kind of scumbag they are." Charlotte woman.
"[Offenders] should get treatment because I would feel that nine times out of ten the problem was related to their crime." Charlotte woman.
Table 29--Support for Day Fines | ||||
| How do you feel about day fines? | Per cent that agree NORTH CAROLINA | Per cent that agree OREGON | ||
| strongly favor | 20% | =50% | 48% | =66% |
| somewhat favor | 30% | 18% | ||
| somewhat oppose | 10% | =50% | 16% | =30% |
| strongly oppose | 40% | 14% | ||
| QUESTIONS: "Another idea is a day fine based on the value of one day's salary. Imagine two men, one earning the minimum wage and the other very well paid, who are convicted of the same crime and receive a fine of ten days pay. The first man would pay only $350 while the other, earning $1,000/day, would pay $10,000." | ||||
Table 30--Views About Using Alternative Sentences Instead of Prison For Selected Nonviolent Offenders | ||
| Should North Carolina make greater use of: | Percent that FAVOR | Per cent that OPPOSE |
| RESTITUTION where offenders must pay back the victims of their crime | 98% | 2% |
| COMMUNITY SERVICE where offenders must do unpaid work such as cut brush or pick up litter | 97% | 3% |
| BOOT CAMP where for 90 days offenders must get up early and work hard all day under strict supervision and strong discipline | 97% | 3% |
| STRICT PROBATION where offenders must see s probation officer once a week. It includes unscheduled visits and mandatory drug testing | 89% | 11% |
| TREATMENT CENTERS where offenders work at their regular job, but are locked in at night and must attend mandatory drug treatment, job training, or high school classes | 88% | 10$ |
| DAY REPORTING CENTERS where offenders must report in-person each morning, and their activities are monitored throughout the day | 88% | 12% |
| HOUSE ARREST where offenders must, by electronic monitoring, stay at home except to go to work or school | 80% | 18% |
| HALFWAY HOUSES where offenders are locked up at night but can go to work or school during the day | 82% | 16% |
| QUESTIONS: "The average cost of prison for one inmate is more than $21,000 per year. Do you favor or oppose making greater use of these less expensive alternatives for NONVIOLENT offenders?" | ||
Table 31--Views About Using Alternative Sentences Instead of Prison For Selected Nonviolent
Offenders
| ||||
| Make much greater use of alternatives for selected nonviolent offenders | Per cent that strongly FAVOR | Per cent that somewhat FAVOR | Percent that somewhat OPPOSE | Per cent that strongly OPPOSE |
| RESTITUTION where offenders must pay back the victims of their crime | 88% | 10% | 1% | 1% |
| COMMUNITY SERVICE where offenders must do unpaid work such as cut brush or pick up litter | 82% | 15% | 2% | 1% |
| BOOT CAMP where for 90 days offenders must get up early and work hard all day | 81% | 16% | 2% | 1% |
| STRICT PROBATION where offenders must see a probation officer once a week. It includes unscheduled visits and mandatory drug testing | 64% | 25% | 7% | 4% |
| TREATMENT CENTERS where offenders work at a regular job, but are locked in at night and must attend drug treatment, job training, or high school classes | 58% | 30% | 6% | 4% |
| DAY REPORTING CENTERS where offenders must report in-person each morning and their activities are monitored throughout the day | 55% | 33% | 7% | 5% |
| HOUSE ARREST where offenders must, by electronic monitoring, stay at home except to go to work or school | 51% | 29% | 8% | 10% |
| HALFWAY HOUSES where offenders are locked up at night but can go to work or school during the day | 44% | 38% | 8% | 8% |
Table 32--What To Do About Prison Overcrowding | ||
| Possible Steps to Reduce Overcrowding | Per cent that FAVOR | Per cent that OPPOSE |
| For nonviolent offenders, make much greater use of less expensive punishments like boot camp, community service, and restitution | 93% | 6% |
| Use capital punishment more often for convicted murderers | 84% | 13% |
| Build more prisons and pay for them by raising taxes | 34% | 64% |
| Build more prisons and pay for them by cutting spending on education, health care and other social programs | 7% | 90% |
| QUESTION: As you may know, North Carolina's prisons are overcrowded. Do you favor or oppose these steps we could take to reduce overcrowding. | ||
We found less willingness in North Carolina to raise taxes to build more prisons than in Oklahoma and Oregon.
Table 32a--Willingness to Build More Prisons If That Means Raising TaxesNorth Carolina Compared to Other States | |||||||
| Agree we should | Per cent that agree | ||||||
| NC 95 | OK 95 | OR 95 | VT 94 | PA 93 | DE 91 | AL 89 | |
| build more prisons, even if that means raising taxes | 34% | 39% | 57% | 48% | 18% | 32% | 19% |
Table 33--Rate of Rehabilitation for Offenders Sentenced to an Alternative | ||
| For every 10 offenders sentenced to an alternative, how many are successfully rehabilitated? | Per cent that agree | |
| a solid majority (7 of 10) | 15% | |
| about half (5 or 6 of 10) | 38% | |
| a sizable minority (4 of 10) | 14% | =43% |
| a definite minority (3 in 10 or fewer) | 29% | |
| not sure/don't know | 6% | |
Table 34--Beliefs About the Rate of Rehabilitation for Various Sentences and Programs | ||
| How many are successfully rehabilitated out of every 10 offenders sentenced to... | Per cent who agree | |
| AN ALTERNATIVE | ||
| a solid majority (7 of 10 or more) | 15% | |
| a sizable minority (4 of 10) | 14% | =43% |
| a definite minority (3 in 10 or fewer) | 29% | |
| ALCOHOL TREATMENT | ||
| a solid majority (7 of 10 or more) | 8% | |
| a sizable minority (4 of 10) | 12% | =58% |
| a definite minority (3 in 10 or fewer) | 46% | |
| PRISON | ||
| a solid majority (7 of 10 or more) | 4% | |
| a sizable minority (4 of 10) | 13% | =62% |
| a definite minority (3 in 10 or fewer) | 49% | |
| DRUG TREATMENT | ||
| a solid majority (7 of 10 or more) | 3% | |
| a sizable minority (4 of 10) | 11% | =69% |
| a definite minority (3 in 10 or fewer) | 58% | |
Table 35--Preferences Among the Alternatives | |||
| Which alternatives should be USED MOST OFTEN? | Favorite | 2nd Favorite | 1st or 2nd Favorite |
| boot camp | 48% | 18% | 66% |
| restitution | 15% | 21% | 36% |
| community service | 11% | 23% | 34% |
| strict probation | 6% | 7% | 13% |
| treatment center | 5% | 9% | 14% |
| house arrest | 5% | 10% | 15% |
| halfway house | 5% | 7% | 12% |
| day reporting center | 3% | 4% | 7% |
Return to contentsTable 35a--Preferences Among the Alternatives
Which alternatives should be USED LEAST
OFTEN?
Least Favorite
2nd Least
Favorite
1st or 2nd
Least Favorite halfway house
28%
19%
47% house arrest
28%
18%
46% day reporting center
9%
15%
24% strict probation
9%
10%
19% community service
7%
8%
15% boot camp
6%
7%
13% treatment center
6%
12%
18% restitution center
4%
4%
8%
| Table 36--Cases When North Carolinians Want to Incarcerate the Offender | ||
| Per cent for PRISON | Per cent for ALTERNATIVE | |
| VIOLENT CRIMES | ||
| Man stalks and viciously rapes a college student, FIRST offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 94% | 6% |
| Man shoots but does not kill store owner during robbery, FIRST offense | 65% | 35% |
| Man, after drinking heavily, beats his wife; she has no permanent injury and does not want him to go to prison. THIRD offense in three years -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 59% | 39% |
| DRUG TRAFFICKING | ||
| Man who is a drug addict sells $20 worth of cocaine to undercover police officer, SECOND offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory treatment? | 67% | 33% |
| Man sells $2,000 worth of heroin to undercover police officer, FIRST offense | 67% | 32% |
| BURGLAR, SECOND OFFENSE | ||
| Unarmed burglar who is a drug addict stealing to pay for his habit. He breaks into empty store steals $2,000 worth of stereo equipment, SECOND offense in THREE YEARS | 61% | 39% |
Table 37--Cases When North Carolinians Want the Offender Sentenced to an Alternative | ||
| Per cent for ALTERNATIVE | Per cent for PRISON | |
| A man takes a car for a joyride, but leaves it undamaged, FIRST offense | 95% | 5% |
| Unarmed burglar breaks into empty electronics store, steals $2,000 worth of stereo equipment, FIRST offense | 81% | 19% |
| Man who, after drinking heavily, beats his wife; she has no permanent injury, FIRST offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 81% | 19% |
| Woman driving with a suspended license one year after being convicted of drunk driving | 80% | 19% |
| Man who is a drug addict sells $20 worth of cocaine to undercover police officer, FIRST offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 69% | 30% |
| Man shoplifts $300 worth of clothing, THIRD offense in THREE YEARS but he has a steady job and three young children | 62% | 36% |
| Man driving while intoxicated, SECOND offense in THREE YEARS -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory alcohol treatment? | 62% | 38% |
| Man shoplifts $300 worth of clothing, SECOND offense in THREE YEARS | 60% | 40% |
| Man commits statutory rape, has sexual relations with a willing 15 year old, FIRST offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling | 50% | 48% |
Table 38--Cases When North Carolinians Are Divided About Whether to Incarcerate or Use an Alternative | ||
| Per cent for PRISON | Per cent for ALTERNATIVE | |
| A 45 year old man who fondles his step daughter without her consent after she initially encourage him | 51% | 46% |
| Woman who is an accountant embezzles $200,000 from a bank, FIRST offense | 51% | 49% |
| Man who is not a drug addict sells $20 worth of cocaine to high school students, FIRST offense | 50% | 50% |
| Armed burglar breaks into empty electronics store, steals $2,000 worth of stereo equipment, FIRST offense | 48% | 51% |
Table 39--North Carolinians' Sentencing Preferences in Cases Involving Violence Including the Threat of Violence and Domestic Abuse | ||
| Per cent for PRISON | Per cent for ALTERNATIVE | |
| Man stalks and viciously rapes a college student, FIRST offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 94% | 6% |
| Man shoots but does not kill store owner during robbery, FIRST offense | 65% | 35% |
| Man, after drinking heavily, beats his wife; she has no permanent injury and does not want him to go to prison. THIRD offense in three years -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 59% | 39% |
| Armed burglar breaks into empty electronics store, steals $2,000 worth of stereo equipment, FIRST offense | 48% | 51% |
| Man who, after drinking heavily, beats his wife; she has no permanent injury, FIRST offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 19% | 81% |
Table 40--North Carolinians' Sentencing Preferences in Cases Involving the Sale of Illegal Drugs | ||
| Per cent for PRISON | Per cent for ALTERNATIVE | |
| Man sells $2,000 worth of heroin to undercover police officer, FIRST offense | 67% | 32% |
| Man who is a drug addict sells $20 worth of cocaine to undercover police officer, SECOND offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 67% | 33% |
| Man who is not a drug addict sells $20 worth of cocaine to high school students, FIRST offense | 50% | 50% |
| Man who is a drug addict sells $20 worth of cocaine to undercover police officer, FIRST offense -- prison or an alternative plus mandatory counseling? | 30% | 69% |
Table 41--North Carolinians' Sentencing Preferences in Cases Involving a Property Offense | ||
| Per cent for PRISON | Per cent for ALTERNATIVE | |
| Unarmed burglar who is a drug addict stealing to pay for his habit. He breaks into empty store, steals $2,000 worth of stereo equipment, SECOND offense in THREE YEARS | 61% | 39% |
| Woman accountant embezzles $200,000 from a bank, FIRST offense | 51% | 49% |
| Armed burglar breaks into empty electronics store, steals $2,000 worth of stereo equipment, FIRST offense | 48% | 51% |
| Man shoplifts $300 worth of clothing, THIRD offense in THREE YEARS but he has a steady job and three young children | 36% | 62% |
| Man shoplifts $300 worth of clothing, SECOND offense in THREE YEARS | 40% | 60% |
| Unarmed burglar breaks into empty electronics store, steals $2,000 worth of stereo equipment, FIRST offense | 19% | 81% |
| A man takes a car for a joyride, but leaves it undamaged, FIRST offense | 5% | 95% |
Table 42--The Most Popular Alternatives in Cases When a Solid Majority of North Carolinians Want to Use an Alternative | |
| cases | most popular alternative |
| Man shoplifts $300 worth of clothing, THIRD offense in THREE YEARS but he has a steady job and three young children | restitution |
| Man, after drinking heavily, beats his wife; she has no permanent injury and does not want him to go to prison. THIRD offense in three years | treatment center |
| Man shoplifts $300 worth of clothing, SECOND offense in THREE YEARS | boot camp |
| Drug addict sells $20 worth of cocaine to undercover police officer, FIRST offense | treatment center |
| Man driving while intoxicated, SECOND offense in THREE YEARS | treatment center |
| Man commits statutory rape, has sexual relations with a willing 15 year old, FIRST offense | boot camp |
| Woman driving with a suspended license one year after being convicted of drunk driving | community service |
| Man who, after drinking heavily, beats his wife; she has no permanent injury, FIRST offense | treatment center |
| Unarmed burglar breaks into empty electronics store, steals $2,000 worth of stereo equipment, FIRST offense | boot camp |
| A man takes a car for a joyride, but leaves it undamaged, FIRST offense | community service |
| What North Carolinians Think It Means | ||
| Burglary | Robbery, burglary, theft, breaking and entering, larceny, grand larceny, embezzling, swindling, racketeering, extortion, or fraud. (These terms are almost synonymous in people's minds) |
|
| Community corrections | A confusing or meaningless term | |
| Community-based punishment | A confusing or meaningless term |
|
| Crime | Murder, rape, armed robbery, and other violent crimes | Shoplifting, burglary, bad checks, joyriding |
| Day reporting center | A confusing or meaningless term |
|
| Drug dealers | Drug "kingpins"
Dealers who target students
Gangs, gang wars, drive-by shootings | Addicts selling small amounts
to support their habit
Marijuana growers selling to friends |
| Drugs | Heroin or crack cocaine | Marijuana |
| Family offender | A confusing or meaningless term | |
| Felony | Murder, rape, armed robbery, and other violent crimes | Nonviolent property offenses
involving up to as much as
$2000
Growing marijuana |
| Intensively supervised probation | A confusing or meaningless term |
|
| Intermediate Sanction | A confusing or meaningless term | |
| Jail | Either state or federal prison, county or city jail | |
| Juvenile crime | Gang violence, assault, mugging, students bringing guns to school | Shoplifting, etc. |
| Murder | Premeditated, wanton, first-degree,
during armed robbery or assault
Serial killing; cold-blooded act by career criminal | Unpremeditated by someone
who's intoxicated or in a blind
rage
A crime of passion by someone with no record |
| Murder victim | A stranger to the murderer
| A spouse, family member, or friend of the murderer |
| Parole | Either probation or parole | |
| Prison | Either state or federal prison, county or city jail | |
| Prison
inmates
| Violent, hard core offenders
| Offenders with a string of
nonviolent property convictions
Borderline retarded, learning disabled, or emotionally disturbed
Men over 65 needing health care |
| Probation | Either probation or parole |
|
| Robbery
| Robbery, burglary, theft, breaking and entering, larceny, grand larceny, a hold-up, embezzling, swindling, racketeering, extortion, or fraud |
|
| Sex offenders | Predatory rapists
Child molesters | Flashers, family offenders, those who commit statutory rape |
| Violent crime | Murder, rape, armed robbery
Shooting, stabbing, brutal attacks | A bar fight |
| Work center | A confusing or meaningless term |
| Sentencing Requirement | ||
COMMUNITY-BASED PUNISHMENTS | ||
| Boot camp | Structure and discipline; offenders get up
early and work hard all day
Productive, meaningful work (grow vegetables, reupholster furniture, etc.) to offset cost of incarceration
Offenders internalize work ethic, become more likely to get and keep a job upon release
An Officer and a Gentleman, Louis Gossett Jr., a father figure/role model who dispenses "tough love"
Offenders acquire GED, job skills |
Meaningless work; digging holes, then filling them in
Full Metal Jacket, sadistic drill sergeants who harass or debase offenders
|
| Community service | Hard, productive work to pay back
community (e.g., picking up litter, clearing
brush, emptying hospital bed pans)
Long, tough, meaningful sentences that deter would-be criminals
Supervision, strict enforcement
Visibility that will deter (e.g., offenders wearing orange DOC shirts while picking up litter along a highway) | Undemanding, easy assignments (e.g.,
working in a library)
Short sentences (e.g., 20 hours of community service)
Minimal supervision. Offender reports when convenient
Pete Rose teaching gym class; Leona Helmsley using her staff to put out a mailing for a hospital |
| House arrest | Part of a sentence combined with a work requirement | Offenders sitting around all day,
watching television
Using or even selling drugs from their living room |
| Strict Pro-bation, ISP | Part of a sentence combined with a work requirement | Offenders who are solely monitored more closely |
| Restitution | Offenders must pay back their victims to the best of their ability | Indigent offenders who cannot make restitution going to prison, debtors' prisons |
ABOUT CONDITIONS IN PRISON OR WHILE SERVING AN ALTERNATIVE | ||
| "We should
make prison life
tougher, more
harsh"
| Inmates should have to work
Taxpayers pay only for what citizens who don't break the law have
TV okay at night or weekends; no HBO; no VCR movies in cell during the day
College courses if inmates pay costs | Inmates breaking rocks
Bread and water
A ban on television or exercise |
| "Offenders should be punished" | Make offenders work, deny privileges
Equivalent of "grounding," confining a child to bedroom | Corporal punishment, caning
Confining a child in a closet |
| "Offenders
should be
required to
work"
| Structure and discipline; offenders get up
early and work hard all day
Meaningful, productive work
Offenders acquire GED, job skills | Prison like in old James Cagney
movies
Chain gangs, Cool Hand Luke
|
In July 1995, 800 North Carolina adults were interviewed by telephone. To ensure that all households with telephones, including those with unlisted numbers, had an equal chance of being contacted, telephone numbers were generated by random digit dialing by Tulsa Surveys, a nationally known sampling, interviewing, and data processing firm. The questionnaire was pretested for length and understandability with a total of ten North Carolina adults. Calls were completed by professional interviewers from Tulsa Surveys under direction by Doble Research. The interviews lasted an average of 25 minutes. The sampling error (margin of error) for each question is plus or minus 4 percentage points with a confidence interval of 95 percent. Data processing was performed by Tulsa Surveys.
| GENDER | TOTAL | 800 | |
| men | 50% | ||
| women | 50% | ||
| EDUCATION | ETHNICITY | ||
| 6th-8th grade | 3% | White/Caucasian | 82% |
| some high school | 11% | Indian/Native-American | 1% |
| high school graduate | 32% | Black/African-American | 15% |
| some college | 28% | Hispanic/Latino | 1% |
| college graduate or more | 26% | Asian-American | 2% |
| REGION | AGE | ||
| Eastern North Carolina | 24% | 18 to 29 | 21% |
| Traingle area | 16% | 30 to 50 | 43% |
| Triad area | 16% | 51 to 64 | 20% |
| Charlotte area | 15% | 65 or over | 15% |
| Other Piedmont | 13% | ||
| Asheville and West | 10% | ||
| other | 6% | ||
Doble Research is a New York-area firm that specializes in analyzing public and leadership opinion about complex issues from a nonpartisan perspective. Clients and partner organizations include The Kettering Foundation, Public Agenda, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the Fetzer Institute, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the Western Governors' Association, the National Institute of Corrections, the Cleveland Summit on Education, the Educational and Social Science Consortium, the Council of Governors' Policy Advisors, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the States of Vermont, Oregon, North Carolina, Indiana and Oklahoma. Doble Research has explored public and leadership opinion about an array of complex issues including education, health care, poverty, mind-body health, AIDS, citizenship, race relations, foreign policy, immigration, science policy, and crime and corrections.
Professional Staff:
John Doble. A political scientist with over 20 years experience analyzing public opinion about policy issues, Mr. Doble was, prior to founding Doble Research, vice president and research director at Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research and educational institute headed by Cyrus Vance and Daniel Yankelovich. He graduated cum laude and received a masters degree at the University of Delaware. His articles about public opinion have appeared in Foreign Affairs (co-authored by Daniel Yankelovich), Technology Review, Judicature, Public Opinion, The Kettering Review, The Public Understanding of Science, and Public Opinion Quarterly, among others.
Damon Higgins, Senior Research Associate. Mr. Higgins is a former Assistant Program Officer at the Kettering Foundation, a nonpartisan operating foundation headed by Dr. David Mathews, where he directed numerous projects to increase citizen participation in politics. After graduating from Oberlin College, Mr. Higgins earned a masters degree in public policy studies from the University of Chicago where he was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan and a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship.
Jennifer Begasse, Research Associate. Ms. Begasse is a cum laude graduate of Bates College with majors in philosophy and Japanese studies. Prior to joining Doble Research, she worked for Ms. Magazine, J. Walter Thompson in New York City, and the Kettering Foundation where she conducted research on systems of political communication.
Celeste Fisher, Consultant. Ms. Fisher holds doctoral candidacy at New York University in the Department of Culture and Communication. Prior to joining Doble Research, Ms. Fisher graduated from Syracuse University and received a master's degree in Applied Public Affairs Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo.