Public Attitudes toward Crime and Law Enforcement

Abstract

Findings of public opinion polls and surveys conducted for the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (hereinafter referred to as the National Crime Commission) suggest widespread belief that crime is increasing and has become a major problem. The crimes that people fear most are attacks on the person by a stranger, the least frequent occurrences. Fear of crime is unrelated to personal experience but provokes people to change their daily habits in order to assure safety. A majority attributes crime increases to breakdown in morals and inade quate training of young people but would rely on strict law enforcement to reduce crime. A substantial proportion also recommends improved social conditions. The recommendation for stern treatment of offenders when a general question is posed is tempered by a concern for individual rights and a tendency to be lenient in a concrete case. Reliance on law- enforcement officials rather than citizen action extends to a denial of responsibility in reporting criminal incidents to police.