SINCE MOST ATTITUDE SURVEYS ARE OF A GENERAL NATURE, THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION CONCERNING PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS CRIME PREVENTION IS SCARCE, IMPRECISE, AND DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET. THE MOST RELEVANT QUESTIONNAIRES DEAL WITH THE MEANS OF LOWERING CRIME RATES, AND THE INTERVIEWEES' REPLIES ARE IN TERMS OF IMMEDIATE RETALIATION RATHER THAN LONG TERM POLICY. AMERICAN, CANADIAN, AND EUROPEAN RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE PREVENTIVE MEASURES FAVORED BY THE PUBLIC ARE ENTIRELY UNRELATED TO WHAT THE SAME PUBLIC CONSIDERS THE CAUSES OF CRIME. THE GREAT MAJORITY ADVOCATES STRICTER LAWS AND INCREASED POLICE PROTECTION. AS A RESULT THE STRICTNESS AND CERTAINTY OF PUNISHMENT ARE AMONG THE PRINCIPAL CONCEPTS OF PREVENTIVE THEORIES. WITH REGARD TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF ITS REPRESENTATIVES IS WEAK AND FRAGMENTARY. THE REPRESENTATIVES BEST KNOWN TO THE POPULATION ARE ATTORNEYS AND JUDGES WHO EVOKE AMBIGUOUS OPINIONS. ATTORNEYS ARE CONSIDERED HYPOCRITICAL BUT USEFUL. JUDGES ARE SEEN AS BEING AT ONCE PARTIAL AND OBJECTIVE; THEY ARE ALSO DESCRIBED AS BOURGEOIS, DISTANT, BUT 'FRIENDLY.' CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS, ON THE OTHER HAND, ARE THE LEAST RESPECTED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, ALTHOUGH THEIR FUNCTIONS ARE FREQUENTLY MISUNDERSTOOD. ACCORDING TO THE STUDIES EXAMINED, THE PUBLIC SEES THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AS UNJUST, INEFFICIENT, AND UNABLE TO LOWER THE CRIME RATE. THE ARTICLE IS SUPPORTED BY AN EXTENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY AND STATISTICAL CHARTS. -- IN FRENCH. (SAJ)