While a majority of likely Republican voters in Mississippi have faith in our criminal justice system, they want to see swifter action in catching and prosecuting offenders and, relatedly, they want more police on the streets. Voters overwhelmingly favor these solutions rather than longer sentencing to address the state’s crime rate.
Empower Mississippi released these and other findings from a poll it commissioned related to public safety and the criminal justice system.
This comes as the legislature is considering bills in the final days of the legislative session that are intended to address crime by changing the length of sentences for certain crimes.
Among the key findings on sentencing:
73 percent of GOP voters in the Magnolia State trust their local judges to “appropriately sentence someone for the crime they have committed.” Only 12 percent believe “longer sentences for offenders” is the “solution for addressing crime.” The top two preferred solutions, for a combined 55 percent, were “swifter action in catching and prosecuting offenders” (34 percent) and the related “more police on the streets” (21 percent). When asked, “Do you think sentencing in Mississippi is too stringent or too lenient?” 62 percent say it depends on the case and the court; 8 percent say sentences are too long; 21 percent say prison terms are too short.
On Mississippi’s incarceration rate:
Mississippi has a growing prison population and has the highest incarceration rate in the United States. Though this fact was not mentioned by the pollsters in their questioning, they did point out that Mississippi taxpayers will spend about $400 million on the state prison system this year. When told this, 52 percent said they support reducing the current prison population, versus only 35 percent who say the state should invest in building more prisons. More than half (55 percent) of GOP voters polled said “reducing the imprisonment rate should be a goal of the state,” with most saying they support that goal “only if it can be done in a way that keeps the public safe.” A large majority (72 percent) of Republicans support the state’s spending
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