There has, however, been a dearth of factual information about the views both of the general public and of victims on punishment. This paper presents findings from the 1982 and 1984 sweeps of the British Crime Survey. The British Crime Survey suggests that neither public opinion nor victims' views are more punitive than current practice, and that people favor sentences involving compensation by offenders either to the victim or to the community. The paper also considers what factors make for punitive attitudes. (Author abstract)