64%: Paterno, others should face criminal charges
Most Americans believe former Penn State football head coach Joe Paterno and other one-time school officials should face criminal charges for not telling police of evidence of a sexual assault on a young boy.
Sixty-four percent said they should face criminal charges, 18% said there should not be criminal charges against them, and 18% expressed no opinion on the issue.
Seventy-one percent of women called for criminal charges against Paterno and the others, while 57% of men backed criminal charges.
Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky faces criminal charges for allegedly sexually assaulting at least eight young boys over several years. Pennsylvania authorities believe long-time Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno and other school officials knew of evidence of at least one case in which Sandusky was allegedly witnessed sexually assaulting a young boy.
Our scientific telephone survey of 1,200 registered voters nationwide was conducted November 13, 2011 and has a margin of error of +/- 3%. Poll results are weighted to be a representative sampling of all American adults.
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Poll Position is committed to transparency and upholding the highest professional standards in its polling, explaining why we provide you with the crosstabs of our scientific polls. Crosstabs provide a breakdown of survey participants by age, race, gender, and political affiliation. Here are the crosstabs for this poll: Poll Position crosstabs – Paterno charges.
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I could be wrong, but I do not believe it is illegal to not report a crime. In any event, he reported it to his higher ups. People should focus on the offender and not an innocent bystander who did not commit a crime.
Because of their action (read INACTION) several young people have been harmed that would now be OK if Joe Paterno and others had run toward the showers screaming, “Call the cops”! Why on earth would a coach witness anal rape to a youngster and remain quiet? What was he thinking?
I think that to report would have been the morally correct thing to do but as reprehensible as keeping mum is, it is not a crime and, I think, rightly so.