Assessing Local Legal Culture - Practitioner Norms in Four Criminal Courts

• NCJ Number: 96109
• Author(s): T W Church
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 82 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-MU-AX-0023
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This codebook contains the questionnaire, variable description list, and coding for the data set resulting from a study in which judges, assistant district attorneys, and defense attorneys were asked their opinions on how 12 hypothetical criminal cases should be handled in a properly functioning and adequately staffed court. staffed court.

Abstract

An introductory section contains a brief study description and discussions of data collection procedures, file structure, information processing, and codebook information. The questionnaires were administered to subjects in four jurisdictions. The questions focused on the respondent's opinion on how the case would be resolved, the appropriate sentence should the defendant plead guilty, and the probability of conviction should the case go to a jury trial. Ten general attitudinal questions were included to help determine the respondent's attitudes toward the criminal court system.