Publications

Over our next five blog posts, we will highlight selected preliminary findings from our work surveying members of the New Jersey public on their support across different areas of sentencing reform in the state. The first area concerns the public’s support for the creation of a new mitigating sentencing factor for defendants who are survivors […]

Our research looks to assess if and to what extent New Jerseyans support four areas of sentencing reform in the state. To examine this research question, we employ a particular type of methodology, an experimental online survey, to assess the attitudes of a sample of the public from New Jersey. This means that the participants […]

Public support and opinion drive many facets of the criminal justice system and its policies, including changes to sentencing laws and guidelines (Pickett, 2019). Thus, understanding public attitudes towards changes to the system can aid in understanding whether policies or reforms may be positively received and later adopted (Enns, 2016). In our study, we explore […]

In 2023 and 2024, the New Jersey Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission released its annual report recommending sentencing reform across several areas of the justice system in New Jersey. To reduce racial disparities and increase fairness and equity for all, specific changes were recommended to four areas of sentencing reforms: 1) establishing a mitigating sentencing […]