Worse type of judicial mistake

verdict

Source

General Social Survey https://gss.norc.org

Details

Question 1164. All systems of justice make mistakes, but which do you think is worse? 1. To convict an innocent person 2. To let a guilty person go free

Overview

For further details see the official GSS documentation.

Counts by year:

year	iap	can't choose	convict an innocent person	let a guilty person go free	no answer	Total
1972	1613	-	-	-	-	1613
1973	1504	-	-	-	-	1504
1974	1484	-	-	-	-	1484
1975	1490	-	-	-	-	1490
1976	1499	-	-	-	-	1499
1977	1530	-	-	-	-	1530
1978	1532	-	-	-	-	1532
1980	1468	-	-	-	-	1468
1982	1860	-	-	-	-	1860
1983	1599	-	-	-	-	1599
1984	1473	-	-	-	-	1473
1985	857	109	419	138	11	1534
1986	1470	-	-	-	-	1470
1987	1819	-	-	-	-	1819
1988	1481	-	-	-	-	1481
1989	1537	-	-	-	-	1537
1990	155	249	684	243	41	1372
1991	1517	-	-	-	-	1517
1993	1606	-	-	-	-	1606
1994	2992	-	-	-	-	2992
1996	1572	198	805	300	29	2904
1998	2832	-	-	-	-	2832
2000	2817	-	-	-	-	2817
2002	2765	-	-	-	-	2765
2004	2812	-	-	-	-	2812
2006	2992	52	1030	428	8	4510
2008	2023	-	-	-	-	2023
2010	2044	-	-	-	-	2044
2012	1974	-	-	-	-	1974
2014	2538	-	-	-	-	2538
2016	1477	49	1036	291	14	2867
2018	2348	-	-	-	-	2348
2021	4032	-	-	-	-	4032
2022	3544	-	-	-	-	3544
Total	66256	657	3974	1400	103	72390

Values

• 1 convict an innocent person

• 2 let a guilty person go free

• NA(d) can't choose

• NA(i) iap

• NA(j) I don't have a job

• NA(m) dk, na, iap

• NA(n) no answer

• NA(p) not imputable

• NA(q) not imputable

• NA(r) refused

• NA(s) skipped on web

• NA(u) uncodeable

• NA(x) not available in this release

• NA(y) not available in this year

• NA(z) see codebook