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Policing and the criminal justice system – public confidence and perceptions: findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey
This report presents the findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey on public confidence and perceptions of policing and the wider criminal justice system (CJS). The report looks at:
levels and recent trends for confidence in the CJS, and also ratings of criminal justice agencies;
who is confident in the CJS and perceived priorities of the system, as well as respondents' views on sentencing;
contacts with and views of the police, and assessment of police performance
information provided by victims about the service they received from the police, for crimes the police came to know about.
Title: Policing and the criminal justice system – public confidence and perceptions: findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey
Authors: Jonathan Allen, Suzanne Edmonds, Alison Patterson & Dominic Smith
Series: Home Office Online Report 07/06
Number of pages: 49
Date published: March 2006
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Summary
A greater proportion of people were confident in 2004/05 that the criminal justice system was effective in bringing offenders who commit crimes to justice than in 2003/04.
There were increases in five of the other six individual confidence measures (respecting the rights of people accused of committing a crime; dealing with cases promptly and efficiently; effective in reducing crime; meeting the needs of victims; and effective in dealing with young people accused of crime) compared to the previous year.
The 2004/05 findings replicate findings from previous years in that women were more likely than men to be confident in the CJS functions.
As with previous years of the British Crime Survey, confidence in the majority of the criminal justice system measures and ratings of agencies was highest amongst the youngest age group (16-24).
People from ethnic minority groups expressed a higher level of confidence than White people on most of the criminal justice system measures and ratings of agencies.
Confidence in the criminal justice system was higher for White people in 2004/05 than it had been in the previous year for nearly all aspects of the CJS.
There was an increase in the percentage of Black people (compared to the previous year) who were confident that the CJS was effective in reducing crime and that the CJS dealt with cases promptly and efficiently. A higher proportion of people from Chinese or Other minority ethnic groups were confident that the CJS was effective in reducing crime and dealing effectively with young people accused of crime in 2004/05 compared to the previous year.
The most highly rated criminal justice agency was the police. This is in line with results from previous years of the survey.
Half of all respondents felt that bringing offenders to justice should be the highest priority for the criminal justice system.
Three-quarters of respondents felt that sentences given out by the court were too lenient. Furthermore, respondents underestimated sentencing practice. To reduce this disparity, there is a need to better inform the public about the relative severity of current sentencing practices.
Last update: 4 April 2006