- Date
- February 24, 2004
According to a multilingual poll funded by OSI and the JEHT Foundation, members of California ethnic groups are dissatisfied with the state's criminal justice system, which they believe favors the rich and powerful. The poll, which was conducted by Bendixen & Associates in May 2003, also revealed that racial and ethnic groups have strong, at times near-unanimous, opinions on crucial criminal justice issues that range from alternative sentencing to police misconduct.
Among the findings are that California minorities overwhelmingly prefer alternative sentencing and rehabilitative programs for minor offenders; have decidedly mixed feelings about the death penalty; and support more lenient sentences for juveniles in general. In particular, they are opposed to Proposition 21, a law that allows juveniles in California who commit serious felonies or are involved in gang-related crimes to be sent to adult prison.
This first-ever comprehensive "ethnic" poll on criminal justice issues interviewed 1,854 California adult residents—450 Latinos; 401 Asians from China, Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines, Japan, and India; 401 Middle Easterners from Armenia, Iran, and several Arab nations; 200 African Americans; 200 American Indians; and 202 non-Latino whites—in 12 languages during May 2003.
A full report of the poll’s findings is available in PDF format.
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