New Poll: Minnesotans Overwhelmingly Support Criminal Justice Reform
A new survey of likely voters shows nearly 8 in 10 Minnesotans support comprehensive criminal justice reform, specifically the plan for reform proposed by the Minnesota County Attorneys Association (MCAA) and the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) to reform Minnesota’s drug sentencing laws.
With 79% of likely voters supporting the measure, and with a meager 13% opposing, the time is right for the Legislature to act on criminal justice reform. Furthermore, fully 74% of voters say they would be more likely to vote for a legislator who supported this reform.
**View the full polling memo HERE**
“Minnesota Republicans and Democrats agree that there are too many people in prison, and it is time for systematic smart-on-crime reforms,” said Holly Harris, Executive Director of the US Justice Action Network. “Dozens of states, red and blue, have shown us that prison is not and cannot be the one-size-fits all answer. Given the success of reforms in other states, and this mandate from voters across the political spectrum, now is the time for the Minnesota Legislature to act.”
“We are at a pivotal moment for criminal justice reform in Minnesota,” said Mark Ostrem, Olmsted County Attorney and President of the MCAA. “County Attorneys and criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota have united around a proposal that would focus on punishing the most serious drug dealers, while providing more treatment, and less prison time, for drug addicts convicted of low-level, non-violent, drug offenses. There is broad, bipartisan support among voters for the plan and we urge the legislature to act now to reform our drug sentencing laws.”
The Results
The results are based on a survey of 402 likely voters in historically competitive legislative districts in Minnesota. The survey was conducted by The Tarrance Group, on behalf of US Justice Action Network, April 5-7, 2016. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 4.9% in 19 of 20 cases.
Voters walk into the discussion more likely feeling that there are too many people in prison (45%) than that they are not enough (19%). There is overwhelming agreement that we should focus on putting away the most dangerous drug dealers, and not non-violent drug users.
And there is practically universal bipartisan agreement on three fundamental principles of criminal justice reform. Each of the following score 85% or more agreement among voters:
Prisons cost Minnesota taxpayers a lot of money, and we should be focused on putting away more of the truly dangerous criminals. (91% agree)
Being tough on crime is not about punishing drug addicts and the mentally ill. Being tough on crime is about putting away hardened and violent criminals who are selling and distributing drugs. (88% agree)
We should be putting fewer low-risk non-violent drug users in prison, while increasing mandatory sentencing for violent and gang-related drug dealers. (85% agree)
Then, provided with the detailed explanations of the components of the comprehensive criminal justice reform proposal, solid supermajorities support each and every one of the components. Support for each of the components range from 65% to as high as 85%.
A follow-up question then asked total support for the reform proposal, which scored 79% support, with 74% saying they would be more likely to vote for a legislator who supported it.
The criminal justice reform proposal referred to in the survey is incorporated in SF 3481, a bill authored by Senator Ron Latz, with bipartisan co-authors including Senator Roger Chamberlain, Senator Scott Newman, Senator Jeff Hayden and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk.