Non-violent offenders need positive incentives and
should be able to earn their rights back and become responsible citizens.
Strong argument 83%
Not strong 17%
Allow people to earn early discharge from probation
if the judge believes they have met certain, well-specified conditions.
Favor 79%
Oppose 16%
Texas could concentrate its criminal justice
spending on violent people.
Good idea 76%
Bad idea 18%
Instead of sending non-violent people to prison,
Texas could closely monitor and provide job training and other effective programming and community resources to these people.
Good
idea 75%
Bad idea 21%
We should lock up fewer non-violent people and
free up millions of dollars for public schools, health care and drug treatment.
Strong argument 75%
Not strong
24%
Prison is destructive to the family unit because
when parents are sent to prison for non-violent crimes, their children often end up with grandparents, aunts and uncles, or
even the state foster care program and are 6-8 times more likely to end up in prison themselves. Legislators should
take steps to salvage the family unit and reduce the use of prison for non-violent people.
Strong argument 73%
Not
strong 23%
For non-violent offenders, it is more effective
to strengthen our probation system and find more alternatives to incarceration instead of sending them to prison.
Strong
argument 71%
Not strong 27%
For minor offenses, Texas could implement a pre-conviction
process in which people are given a certain length of time to demonstrate that they are contributing members of society, with
no new arrests or violations of terms of supervision. If they are successful, their criminal case is dismissed.
Good idea 65%
Bad idea 30%
While these issues are very important to Texans,
it is not because they feel unsafe.
Are criminal justice issues—such as
o
prison over-crowding,
o criminal sentencing, and
o the rights and responsibilities of people
who are convicted of crimes—
serious problems?
Serious 85%
Not serious 9%
Compared to four years ago, do you feel more
safe?
Safer 33%
Less safe 32%
