A Zogby poll commissioned by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency reveals strong public support for alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders. The poll, which was released earlier this month, finds 77 percent of those surveyed believe the most appropriate sentence for non-violent, non-serious offenders is supervised probation, restitution, community service, and/or rehabilitative services with prison or jail as an option if the offender fails. Non-violent, non-serious crimes are defined in the survey as those offenses that do not involve violence and sex and where the loss is $400 or less.
Some 68 percent of respondents felt that incarceration is only sometimes, rarely, or never necessary for drug possession cases where the offender is not involved in selling drugs. Only 30 percent believed that incarceration is usually or always necessary in such cases. In regard to disturbing the peace or loitering, 52 percent of respondents said incarceration is never necessary, with an additional 34 percent believing it is only rarely or sometimes necessary. Similarly, only 21 percent of those surveyed believed incarceration is usually or always necessary for public drunkenness.
In another question, more than 55 percent of respondents thought that alternatives to prison reduce costs to state and local governments. They are quite correct, as in Texas the cost of prison (including health care) is $56.10, compared with $1.24 per day for the share of probation costs borne by taxpayers. Those surveyed were surprisingly aware of various alternatives to incarceration, with 94 percent familiar with house arrest, 92 percent familiar with electronic monitoring, and 79 percent familiar with restorative justice.
Some 54 percent of respondents believed that serving time in prison or jail does not reduce the likelihood that a person will commit a crime in the future. Among those surveyed, 45 percent believed that alternatives to incarceration are effective at reducing recidivism compared to 38 percent who thought the same about prison or jail time.
In sum, these results are important because they demonstrate that the public recognizes the benefits of alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders, particularly at a time when local and state budgets are tight and correctional spending has surged in recent years.
– Marc Levin