September 25, 2018

In public opinion polling conducted for the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut’s campaign for Smart Justice, Connecticut voters showed strong support for criminal justice reform across the ideological and political spectrum. 

The research, conducted by Benenson Strategy Group between September 5 and September 10, included 507 telephone interviews with registered Connecticut voters across the state who indicated they were likely to vote in the 2018 gubernatorial election. Thirty-five percent of participants identified as conservative, 34 percent as liberal, and 29 percent as moderate. Respondents were asked about their views on the size of Connecticut’s prison system, the purpose of the criminal justice system, treatment of people returning to society after incarceration, how to respond to drug addiction within the context of the criminal justice system, the existing Earned Risk Reduction Credit program, and what types of policy positions voters seek from their elected officials.