Pubdate: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2001 The New York Times Company Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Section: National Briefing Author: Fox Butterfield CHANGE OF HEART ON CRIMINALS A poll released by the American Civil Liberties Union has found that Americans are softening their views about how to treat criminals. The poll found that a majority of Americans believed that it was possible to rehabilitate nonviolent offenders and that prisons were failing to prepare inmates for their return to society. The poll also found that 61 percent of Americans opposed mandatory sentences for nonviolent crimes and that 75 percent favored treatment and probation for nonviolent drug use. The telephone poll, conducted in January, surveyed 2000 people, with a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. Fox Butterfield (NYT) - --- MAP posted-by: GD