Taken together, the surveys highlight the complexities inherent in determining if the public wants harsher criminal sanctions. Sentences that people find appropriate vary according the options offered them, the sociodemographics, and the information available about both crime and punishment. In these studies, respondents were not markedly punitive in terms of the aims of sentencing; but supported moderately severe sentencing aims. General questions about sentencing severity elicited calls for tougher sanctions from a majority. However, in calling for harsher sanctions. respondents appeared to do so in reference to the dangerous or violent criminal and offense. Respondents generally seemed ignorant about actual practices and underestimated the use of imprisonment. Generally there was a convergence between public opinion as to appropriate sentences for specified offenses and actual court practice. The probability of people agreeing with the sentence passed increased with the amount of information provided about the case. Finally, victimization experience does not appear to be related to punitiveness, but punitiveness does appear to relate more general authoritarian and disciplinarian attitudes. Chapter footnotes, tables, figures, references, and name and subject indexes. See NCJ-114406 to NCJ-114413 for individual papers.