Public Opinion, Crime and Race: A Congressional Response to Law and Order in America

In: Political studies, Band 28, Heft 3, S. 420-430

Abstract

National PO polls in the late 1960s to early 1970s disclosed that the majority of US citizens considered the breakdown of law & order their chief concern, & that blacks had caused this breakdown. The relationship between national opinion & how US congressmen voted on law & order legislation is examined. Twenty-two bills divided into 7 specific crime categories were classified as 'hard' or 'soft' (hard legislation concerned with tougher anticrime measures & stiffer penalties, soft with rehabilitation programs & crime studies). Voting patterns according to district followed party lines, especially with Republicans, who overwhelmingly favored tougher measures. Democrats, however, supported softer measures in white districts but tougher ones as the number of blacks in their districts increased. High black districts saw the lowest Democratic support for hard measures, while Republicans were unrepresented. Although interaction between white PO & congressional voting on law & order legislation is apparent, no conclusive relationship can be drawn; further research is needed. 2 Tables, 3 Figures. K. Walsh.