A nationwide poll supported by MacArthur found that more than one in three Americans believe rehabilitation and treatment are the primary purposes for jail, as opposed to punishment. The poll, conducted by RTI International and Zogby Analytics, assessed Americans' attitudes on local justice systems. It also found that 60 percent of Americans believe that rehabilitation is the most appropriate response to people who have committed nonviolent offenses. That number rises to 71 percent when considering offenders who have been diagnosed with a mental illness.
