The fallible nature of the criminal justice system continues to see judicial errors—that is, wrongful convictions and erroneous acquittals—undermine its integrity, efficacy, and legitimacy. Public perceptions of judicial errors are important contributors to criminal justice policy and reforms. The current study utilizes the 2016 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (AuSSA) dataset to examine public attitudes toward judicial errors. It applies Herbert Packer’s crime control and due process models to understand how concerns around procedural safeguards and public safety are associated with public perceptions toward judicial errors. Packer’s model has been challenged by studies, which theorize that the models are not mutually exclusive. Yet, they have not been empirically tested in this context, which is a gap this study seeks to fill. Findings show that due process and crime control concerns shape public attitudes toward wrongful convictions and challenge the notion that Packer’s models be applied on a continuum.

刑事司法系统易犯错误的性质继续导致司法错误——即错误定罪和错误无罪释放——损害其完整性、有效性和合法性。公众对司法错误的看法是刑事司法政策和改革的重要贡献者。本研究利用 2016 年澳大利亚社会态度调查 (AuSSA) 数据集来考察公众对司法错误的态度。它应用赫伯特·帕克的犯罪控制和正当程序模型来了解对程序保障和公共安全的担忧如何与公众对司法错误的看法相关联。帕克的模型受到了研究的挑战，这些研究认为这些模型并不相互排斥。然而，它们尚未在这方面进行过实证检验，这是本研究试图填补的空白。犯罪控制问题塑造了公众对错误定罪的态度，并对帕克模型连续应用的观念提出了挑战。