Policymaker Narratives on Perceptions and Uses of Public Opinion in Crime Policy Reform in New York State.

Research has yet to consider adequately how policymakers perceive and use evidence of public opinion in penal policymaking. Prior work has indicated that political elites tend to misperceive public opinion on crime control, but it remains unclear just how such misperceptions are formed and what impact they have on policymaking. Using data from an interview study, this presentation will consider narratives of policymakers in New York State on how they perceive and use evidence of public opinion in crime policy reform. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]