Majority Of Crime Victims Support Rehabilitation Over Punishment For Criminals: Study

A new survey argues criminals should get rehabilitation rather than punishment. The recommendation comes straight from crime victims themselves.

The study commissioned by the Alliance for Safety and Justice says one in three Illinoisans have been a victim of crime in the last decade. More likely to be victimized are people who are younger and lower-income, as well as blacks, Latinos and residents of Chicago.

Lenore Anderson is president of the Alliance. She says contrary to the conventional wisdom, seven out of ten crime victims do not support long prison sentences.

“Crime victims see over incarceration as something that could contribute to future crime, which is not what anybody wants”, said Anderson. She says the survey also shows that crime victims want shorter prison sentences so that more money can go to areas like crime prevention and rehabilitation.

The study found that by a margin of three to one, victims think sending offenders to prison makes them MORE likely to commit crimes ... rather than helping them become better citizens.

The study also found that Illinoisans who are black and Latino are 26 percent more likely than whites to have been a victim of violent crime.

The Alliance for Safety and Justice is a project of the Tides Center, an incubator for progressive organizations overseen by the liberal-leaning Tides fund.