An Investigation into South African Citizens Trust in the Criminal Justice System
Abstract
The overall goal of this project was to provide baseline information on South African citizens' level of confidence in the criminal justice system, including the police and courts as well as the reasons for variation in levels of confidence, which currently does not exist. Public trust and confidence in criminal justice institutions is important for all levels of government. A wide difference between the views of the public and the practices of the justice system undermines the legitimacy of criminal justice institutions. The project used both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate these questions. A module on trust in the courts and police was included in the 2012 round of the South African Social Attitudes survey and 12 focus groups were held in different parts of the country to complement the quantitative data. Three journal articles were produced using the data that emerged from the project. This data was intended to be used to inform criminal justice policy that seeks to increase the legitimacy and effectiveness of the criminal justice system.
