Nearly all Americans support some level of change to U.S. criminal justice system: poll

Nearly all American adults support at least some level of change to the U.S. criminal justice system, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

Among the surveyed, 29 percent think the U.S. criminal justice system needs "a complete overhaul," 40 percent say it needs "major changes" and 25 percent say it needs "minor changes," the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found.

Only 5 percent believe no changes are necessary.

The poll found overwhelming support for changes in how police departments operate: requiring officers to wear body cameras, establishing clear standards for use of force, prosecuting officers who use excessive force and requiring officers to report misconduct by their peers.

The poll results came after weeks of nationwide protests against police violence in response to the fatal arrest of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.

The poll of 1,301 adults was conducted on June 11-15 with a margin of sampling error of 3.7 percentage points.