Criminal Justice
Public safety, crime, and the functioning of the criminal justice system are issues of vital importance to all Arizonans. Social stability, individual freedoms, civil rights, and a thriving economy are commonly considered to be impossible without a reasonable expectation of personal safety, property security, and a robust network of enforced laws. Levels of crime and disorder are thus widely recognized as affecting everyone’s quality of life, not just those directly victimized. In addition, the degree of effectiveness and fairness of the justice system help shape basic social values and legitimize public authority.
The data in this section are taken primarily from standard databases compiled annually by the FBI and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. It is important to note, however, that the data represent only those crimes reported to authorities; various estimates, including those by the U.S. Department of Justice, conclude that most crimes, especially property crimes, go unreported. In addition, the offenses tallied in these databases are limited to violations of state criminal laws, which include most of the common “street crimes;” the databases do not include offenses against city, federal, or tribal laws.
Morrison Institute - AZ Views
Arizona Indicators Survey Results
The Arizona Indicators Panel is a statewide representative sample of Arizonans. Panel members have agreed to be surveyed online several times a year across many topic areas. This enables great depth and exploration of topics with the same sample group and solves some of the problems experienced in random sample telephone surveys. The results reported here come from two rounds of panel questions and were collected in May and July 2008.
Featured survey results on crime:
- Strong evidence for the “fear/risk paradox.”
- Most people feel safe in their neighborhoods,
- Despite this, more than one in five believe that they’re living in an unsafe area
- The paradox needs to be understood because of its impact on policy.
Read the
Full Report 
[PDF 148KB] or
Read the entire series of panel reports at the Morrison Institute's web site
