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Abstract
The present study examines public beliefs of Florida citizens about the prevalence of miscarriages of justice in their state and their level of support for various proposed remedies. The study also examines various correlates of punishment beliefs and death penalty opinions. Using a self-administered survey of venire persons called to jury duty, this study found that the public believes that the prevalence of miscarriages of justice in capital cases is quite high. The public is supportive of nearly all of the proposed remedies measured and they are willing to pay more taxes to support the implementation of such proposals. At the same time, respondents report feeling that the officials responsible for such miscarriages of justice should be severely punished. Importantly, the results show powerful evidence of broad societal consensus on each of these issues. Legal and criminal justice policy implications of these findings are offered.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their appreciation to the following criminal justice leaders in the 13th Judicial Circuit, Tampa, Florida, for their assistance in implementing this study of jury attitudes: the Honorable Manuel Menendez, Jr., Chief Judge; Honorable James Barton, Circuit Court Judge; Honorable Julianne Holt, Public Defender; Honorable Mark Ober, State Attorney; and Mr. Mark Ware, Director of Jury Services. We extend our gratitude to the circuit court judges, assistant public defenders, and assistant state attorneys who also reviewed our questionnaire, and to the jury service staff who assisted us on the dates we surveyed potential jurors.
Notes
A previous draft of this manuscript was presented at the annual meetings of the Southern Criminal Justice Association, September 27-October 2, 2010, Clearwater Beach, FL.