R Street Institute Applauds New National Survey on Criminal Justice Reform
With less than 90 days until the 2020 election, many have wondered how this new wave of interest in policing and criminal justice will impact Americans as they head to the polls in November. Before now, the answer was prone to much speculation and little hard data.
However, a new national survey released by Shaw & Company and Beacon Research has revealed that registered Republican and Democratic voters from across various demographic groups agree that criminal justice reforms are desperately needed. The new poll commissioned by #Cut50 and the Justice Action Network highlights a broad set of solutions, backed by voters, that both Democratic and Republican lawmakers should consider. Likely voters from diverse demographic and ideological backgrounds have made it clear what they are looking for this election season.
“Voters nationally view the criminal justice system as failing and support a wide range of reform measures,” the survey notes. “An overwhelming majority of Americans across every conceivable divide want to see policing and justice reform, making this a rare area of bipartisan agreement between Republicans and Democrats.”
When it came to Congress, 63 percent said that they would be more likely to support their representative if they cast a vote in favor of criminal justice reform, and with 93 percent of survey respondents stating that they were “very likely” to cast a ballot this fall, the electoral implications are profound.
Specific policies such as requiring officers to wear body cameras during all civilian interactions received overwhelming cross-partisan support: 94 percent from Democrats, 90 percent among independents and 88 percent of Republicans. Another policy proposal, establishing national use-of-force standards for law enforcement, also received upwards of 77 percent approval from all groups surveyed.
In light of this overwhelming public support, R Street’s work on criminal justice reform is now more important than ever. To learn about the policies mentioned in this survey, you can find policy writing from our resident experts here. You can also find the full published survey results here.
