Public Support for Rehabilitation

While public figures often highlight the public's desire to "get tough" on crime, detailed questioning of citizens indicates that the public also supports the general principles of rehabilitation. American researchers have been aware of this trend for more than 20 years. Roberts (2004) reports that, during the late 1980s, 78 per cent of Americans felt that rehabilitation should be the primary goal when sentencing youth. Moreover, similar results were found earlier in the 1980s and again in the 1990s, indicating stability in public perceptions of rehabilitation (Roberts, 2004: 512). As Cullen (2005) notes, "although the public is punitive and offender treatment has been excoriated repeatedly, Americans still strongly support the view that efforts should be made to rehabilitate offenders" (Cullen, 2005: 12-13).

Importantly, the general public is particularly supportive of rehabilitation for young offenders. In a survey of Ontario residents, Varma (2000, as in Doob and Cesaroni, 2004: 9) found that respondents feel that the rehabilitation of young offenders is far more important than rehabilitation for adults. Moreover, the public feels that incapacitation and deterrence is less important for youth than it is for adults (Varma 2000, as in Doob and Cesaroni, 2004: 9). When asked to rate the importance of rehabilitation as a purpose of youth sentencing, a sample of approximately 500 Ontarians rated rehabilitation as 8.1, on average, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 signifying no importance and 10 signifying high importance (Doob, 2000: 329). A separate group of approximately 500 Ontarians was asked the same question with regard to adults and indicated 7.77 out of 10 (Doob, 2000: 329), which is still high, but not as strong as perceptions about rehabilitation for youth. This stands in stark contrast to a federal government that wants to "get tough" on youth crime. It is possible that the public appreciates the root causes of youth criminality and realizes that the vast majority of young offenders will ultimately return to the community. The public is aware that we can either address the needs of youthful offenders while they are serving sentences - or simply incarcerate them without treatment and hope that they will be deterred.

The question that emerges, however, is whether the public's general faith in rehabilitation is warranted. The answer to this question will be determined next, by reviewing the empirical evidence on rehabilitative efforts.