Public opinion and sentencing: can asking jurors help?

17/03/2009

The Australian Institute of Criminology has published a paper entitled: Gauging Public Opinion on Sentencing: Can Asking Jurors Help? According to the report, " the opinion of jurors towards sentences is not as punitive as public opinion polls would suggest and it would appear that specific knowledge of a case may moderate harsher sentencing attitudes". While there is evidence that jury participation increases confidence in the criminal justice system, the study found that pre-existing perceptions about lenient sentencing may be difficult to change.

The study determined that despite there being potential issues around obtaining truly representative population samples, surveying jurors as a means of ascertaining informed public opinion about sentencing "seems a good option".�

17 March 2009