Missouri Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Survey | January 15 - 18, 2022

Conducted between January 15 and January 18, 2022, a poll of 500 likely voters in Missouri found broad bipartisan agreement that the state’s criminal justice system needs reform, with 7 in 10 respondents saying that “the criminal justice system here in Missouri needs improvement.” The sentiment was shared across key demographic groups, including majorities of Republicans (62%), households which include victims of violent crime (79%), as well as law enforcement households (70%).

Among the reforms supported, 72% of Missouri voters, including two-thirds of Republicans, agree “Missouri should allow people with less serious criminal records, who have remained crime-free for a period of time, to seal or expunge their records so they have a better shot of finding jobs and supporting their families.”

Over 70% of all voters, with bipartisan majorities, support having people charged with “minor crimes like trespassing or intoxication” (79%) or “misdemeanors” (72%) remain in the community while awaiting trial rather than being held in jail; and fully 64% of voters in Missouri, including majorities across party lines as well as 84% of law enforcement households, support setting “the maximum sentence for misdemeanors and ordinance violations to 18 months.”

See full poll results here.