Perceptions of How the Criminal Legal System Prioritizes Victims

• In Event: Marginalized Communities and Perspectives on Police and Crime

Abstract

Besides victims enduring harm from crime, perceptions of how the criminal legal system in America prioritizes victims’ rights and support have not been explicitly studied. Using a representative sample from the US, a Qualtrics survey of 2,000 people was conducted online in 2020. This data included questions about perceptions of crime victim support, trust in the criminal legal system, and whether the system cares about crime victims. Using these questions, this study examines how trust and the overall view of the courts and criminal legal system relate to perceptions of how the courts care about crime victims and how they balance victim and perpetrator rights. We find that trust and overall view of the system is significantly related to perceptions of crime victims, their support, and balancing their rights with perpetrator rights. These findings suggest that clarifying the roles of victims and their experiences in cases will be important in advocating for more victim support.

Authors

• Britni L. Adams, University of Nevada, Reno

• Mia Abboud Holbrook, University of Nevada, Reno

• Adam Dunbar, University of Nevada, Reno