In the court of public opinion: attitudes towards the criminal courts

Abstract

After two decades of democracy, do South Africans have confidence in our criminal courts? The courts require public support and institutional legitimacy if they are to function in a fair and effective manner. Benjamin Roberts, Steven Gordon, Jare Struwig and Narnia Bohler-Muller examine public attitudes towards the courts to better understand how South Africans view this important civic institution. DST commissioned the HSRC to do the monitoring and evaluation of the CSTP to see if it could be replicated in similar rural environments to ultimately inform policy development.