Public opinion is vital to the functioning of the criminal justice system but it is not at all clear how best to establish what this is, and what views people have on different aspects of criminal justice and the criminal justice system. Politicians and the media often assume that the public wants harsher, tougher and longer sentences, and policies may be shaped accordingly. Detailed research and more specific polling often tells a different story.

Preface Part 1: Public Attitudes and Criminal Justice 1. The Psychology of Attitudes and Persuasion, Gerd Bohner and Michaela Wänke 2. Why Public Opinion of the Criminal Justice System is Important, Jane Wood 3. What Shapes Public Opinion of the Criminal Justice System? Jacqueline M. Gray 4. The Myth of Public Support for Captial Punishment, Francis T. Cullen, James D. Unnever, Kristie R. Blevins, Jennifer A. Pealer, Shannon A. Santana, Bonnie S. Fisher and Brandon K. Applegate 5. Achieving Accurate Assessment of Attitudes Toward the Criminal Justice System: Methodological Issues, G. Tendayi Viki and Gerd Bohner Part 2: Victims and Their Offenders 6. The Typical Rape: Factors Affecting Victims' Decision to Report, Margaret A. Wilson and Angela Scholes 7. Attitudes Towards Victims of Crime: A Double-edged Sword? Elizabeth Gilchrist 8. Public Attitudes Towards Offending, Offenders and Reintegration, Natalie Reynolds, Leam A. Craig and Douglas P. Boer 9. Attitudes Towards Sexual Offenders and their Rehabilitation: A Special Case? Sarah Brown 10. Stigma and Offenders with Mental Illness, Patrick W. Corrigan and Jessica L. Walton