RECORD Record number
S1 First, can you please tell me if you are currently registered to vote in the district where you live?
S2 Have you recently moved and have not yet re-registered in your new district?
Q1 Here is an argument in favor of the proposal: Our sentencing laws prevent judges from considering the specifics of cases, often times resulting in sentences that are much longer than the criminal deserves. ...
Q2 Here is a counter-argument: Criminals need to know that if they break the law, they will face the full consequences of their actions. ...
Q3 Here is another argument: It is understandable that, when crime rates went up, there was a move to crack down on crime and impose harsher sentences. ...
Q4 Here is a counter argument: Because crime rates have come down, this does not mean that we should ease up on sentencing. ...
Q5 Here is another argument: Besides the severe personal costs of overly-long sentences, we should not forget the great costs to society. ...
Q6 Here is a counter argument: Sentencing criminals should not be simply assessed in economic terms. It is a question of upholding justice--and we cannot have justice on the cheap. ...
Q7 Here is another argument: Studies have shown that many of the people in prison do not pose a real threat to society. ...
Q8 Here is a counter argument: Our criminal justice system is not simply about whether people pose a threat to society. ...
Q9 Here is another argument: The whole trend toward mandatory sentences and over-incarceration has unfairly victimized African-Americans. ...
Q10 Here is a counter argument: The reason that there are more African-Americans in prison is not because of racial bias, but because African-Americans commit more crimes. ...
Q11 Here is another argument: Long mandatory sentences can actually undermine the enforcement of laws--that's why many law enforcement professionals oppose them. ...
Q12 Here is a counter-argument: Mandatory minimum sentences are an important law enforcement tool. ...
Q13 Current federal law states that a conviction for one serious drug offense must result in a minimum 10 year prison sentence. Serious drug offense includes the sale, manufacturing or trafficking of a significant amount of illegal drugs.
Q14 Current federal law states that someone who is convicted of a second serious drug offense be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Q15 Current federal law states that if someone commits three serious drug offenses, they must be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Q16 Currently, someone whose role is limited to transporting or storing illegal drugs or the money related to drug deals, is still subject to the mandatory minimum requirements so that, for example, one offense will result in a minimum sentence of 10 years
Q17 Here is an argument in favor of this proposal: First, let's be clear, older people and sick people rarely commit crimes. ...
Q18 Here is an argument against this proposal: We should not be making decisions to cut short people's sentences because they are old or sick. ...
Q19 Prisoners 60 years and older who have completed at least two thirds of their sentence.
Q20 Prisoners who are terminally ill.
Q21 Prisoner who are so ill that they need to be in some type of assisted living facility.
Q22 Here is an argument in favor of this proposal: If a prisoner poses little risk to society, and especially if the prisoner has made efforts to prepare themselves for civilian life through drug and alcohol treatment and employment training, it makes sens
Q23 Here is an argument against the proposal: Shaving time off sentences weakens our justice system. ...
Q24 So in conclusion, do you favor or oppose a proposal to give the Bureau of Prisons the option to allow selected prisoners to serve the last 10% of their sentence in a monitored home setting, provided that they pose a low to moderate risk that they will
Q24A Would you favor or oppose allowing selected prisoners to serve the last 20% of their sentence in in a monitored home setting, provided that they pose a low to moderate risk that they will repeat their criminal activity.
Q25 Here is an argument in favor of this proposal: During the 1990s, in response to the increase in crime, there was a strong movement toward having juveniles tried as adults, which leads to longer prison terms. ...
Q26 Here is an argument against this proposal: A crime is a crime, even if the person who committed it was very young at the time. ...
Q27 So now do you favor or oppose this proposal: For prisoners who have were convicted as juveniles and have served at least 20 years in prison, federal judges will have the option to determine whether the prisoner still poses a threat to society, and to r
Q28 Here is an argument in favor of this proposal: Treating crack cocaine as 100 times worse than powder cocaine is a holdover from a time when a 'crack epidemic' was feared. ...
Q29 Here is an argument against the proposal: Applying these reforms retroactively is unjust, will weaken confidence in our justice system and is costly. ...
Q30 So, once again: Starting in 1986, sentencing guidelines counted an amount of crack cocaine as equivalent to 100 times that amount of powder cocaine. ...
Q31 Do you think that for sentencing:
D1 Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as a:
D1A Do you think of yourself as closer to the:
D2A How often would you say you vote in general elections - for President every four years, and for members of Congress every two years?
D2B How often would you say you vote in your party's primary elections?
D3. In 2016, when voting for President, who did you choose?
D4 Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President?
D5 Think about President Trump, how responsive do you think he is to the American people?
D6 What is your religion?
D6A Would you describe yourself as a born-again Christian?
D6B Would you describe yourself as an Evangelical Christian?
PDEMAGE Age of respondent
PDEMED Level of education
PDEMRACEWHITE RaceDescription: White
PDEMRACEBLACK RaceDescription: Black/African American
PDEMRACEASIAN RaceDescription: Asian
PDEMRACEOTHER RaceDescription: Other
PDEMSPAN Spanish/Hispanic origin
HDEMHHINC Household income (HHLD)
CNTYSIZE Cntysize
ZSTATE State
QZIP State
DISTRICTID Congressional District
DMA Code
ZRESPID Respondent ID
State
Gender
Income
Education
Age -- 6 cats
Race - ethnicity
Geographic division
Party id -- 3way