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Chart showing responses from a 2016 survey of violent crime victims. 61% prefer shorter sentences and spending on prevention programs compared to long prison sentences. 82% prefer investing more in crime prevention programs instead of in prisons and jails. 69% prefer holding people accountable through different options than just prison. 52% think that prison makes people more likely to commit crimes, while only 19% think prison helps rehabilitate people

Data Source: Alliance on Safety and Justice (2016), Crime Survivors Speak: The First-Ever National Survey on Victims' Views on Safety and Justice. (Graph: Wendy Sawyer, 2022)

This graph originally appeared in Reforms without Results: Why states should stop excluding violent offenses from criminal justice reforms.

Victims and survivors of crime prefer investments in crime prevention rather than long prison sentences.

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