Focus groups were conducted in 10 cities in 1986 and involved 125 participants. Results reveal that subjects' attitudes about crime are personal and immediate, and their beliefs about the prevalence and nature of crime are defined in personal terms and are different in different communities. Subjects viewed the essential purpose of the entire criminal justice system (police courts, and corrections) as crime prevention, but rated only police highly in this area. Subjects believed crime was a result of remediable circumstances such as poverty, bad family environment, and drug abuse. They saw the goals of incarceration as incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Subjects favored mandatory sentencing because they distrust courts, but were unaware of its implications for overcrowding on rehabilitative goals. Finally, subjects favored alternatives to incarceration for certain types of crime, but believed them to be inappropriate for repeat, violent, or drug offenders.