Balanced Justice and Support for Problem-Solving Courts

• In Event: Views on Rehabilitation and Punishment

Abstract

Despite the exponential growth in the number of problem-solving courts (e.g., drug courts, mental health courts, veterans’ courts, etc.) in operation across the United States, there is a paucity of research examining public perceptions of such courts. Examining public perceptions of problem-solving courts is important for a number of reasons, the most salient reason being that the public elects officials who ultimately decide how to allocate scarce resources to respond to offenders with drug and mental health issues. Extending the “balanced justice” work of Mears and colleagues (2015)—which suggests that individuals simultaneously support rehabilitation and punishment for violent juvenile offenders—the current study examines public support for a balanced justice approach to handling offenders typically involved in problem-solving courts, including drug offenders, offenders with mental health issues, justice involved veterans, and domestic violence offenders. Utilizing a sample of criminal justice majors at a medium-sized, public institution, this study expands the balanced justice and problem-solving court literature by examining support for balanced justice for various problem-solving court offenders. Preliminary findings will be presented.

Authors

• Cassandra A. Atkin-Plunk, Florida Atlantic University

• Lincoln B. Sloas, Florida Atlantic University