ABSTRACT

Public opinion toward the legal system is important to study for several reasons. It has been demonstrated that policy-makers have enacted particular laws with public opinion being the driving force (Gottfredson & Taylor, 1984). Furthermore, public opinion on legal issues is taken into account by judges when rendering decisions (Gibson, 1980). Discontent with the criminal justice system (e.g., courts) and awarded sentences may result in undesirable effects such as public withdrawal from participation in the criminal justice system, and reluctance on the part of the public to report crimes and appear as witnesses (Roberts & Edwards, 1989). A consistent finding in the literature has been the public's perception of the criminal justice system, and sentencing in particular, as being too lenient (Blumstein & Cohen, 1980; Brillon, 1988; Broadhurst & Indermaur, 1982; Doob & Roberts, 1988; Roberts, 1992; Skovron, Scott, & Cullen, 1988; Sprott, 1996). Although overall research on legal attitudes has been growing, the literature on laypersons' attitudes toward Conditional Release (CR 2 ) specifically is limited. This neglect in the literature is problematic as, unlike more restrictive forms of corrections (such as incarceration), public support is inherently critical to the implementation, operation, and success of community correctional procedures such as CR (Senese, 1992; Sigler & Lamb, 1995). Public opinion may also be instrumental in CR-related social policy reforms (e.g., regarding which offenders should receive parole, and when; Roberts, 1988).