Public opinion about punishment and corrections

"Get tough" control policies in the United States are often portrayed as th e reflection of the public's will: Americans are punitive -and want offende rs locked up. Research from the past decade both reinforces and challenges this assessment. The public clearly accepts, if not prefers, a range of pun itive policies (e.g., capital punishment, three-strikes-and-you're-out laws , imprisonment). But support for get-tough policies is "mushy." Thus citize ns may be willing to substitute a sentence of life imprisonment without par ole for the death penalty. Especially when nonviolent offenders are involve d, there is substantial support for intermediate sanctions and for restorat ive justice. Despite three decades of criticism, rehabilitation-particularl y for the young-remains an integral part of Americans' correctional philoso phy. There is also widespread support for early intervention programs. In t he end, the public shows a tendency to be punitive and progressive, wishing the correctional system to achieve the diverse missions of doing justice, protecting public safety, and reforming the wayward.