By Illinois Radio Network

CARBONDALE – New polling from Southern Illinois University found 73 percent of state voters think the state spends too much money on incarceration and not enough on education and treatment.

John Jackson, a visiting professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and co-director of the polling operation at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, said Democrats and Republicans agree that both the Illinois and national criminal justice systems have issues.

“People on the left and people on the right have generally come to an agreement, at least a majoritarian agreement, that there are some real problems with our criminal justice system,” Jackson said.

Jackson said it is rare for the public to agree on issues like this in today’s political climate. He added that these kinds of opinions are needed to start the process of change.

“It is fairly rare in American politics these days,” Jackson said. “We are much more polarized, and it is what is required for there to be action.”

55 percent of respondents said the criminal justice system was biased against black people, which the researchers said was influenced by where respondents live. Chicago and its collar counties were at least 60 percent in agreement, while 42 percent of downstate residents agreed.

“The outstate or downstate, whatever it should be called, is more Republican and more conservative than the rest of the state,” Jackson said.

The poll also asked about the quality of water in Illinois, with 69 percent ranking the water as excellent or good.

“People are mostly pretty satisfied with water quality in Illinois, and we have abundant supplies of good water,” Jackson said, adding that respondents agreed that water safety is very important in the state and that government should keep it safe.