NCJ Number
144029
Date Published
1992
Length
130 pages
Annotation
After providing an overview of the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Expedited Drug Case Management (EDCM) Demonstration Program, this report presents summaries of the experiences of the demonstration jurisdictions in implementing the EDCM concept and in adapting it to their judicial processes.
Abstract
In July 1989, the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Justice Department launched the EDCM program. This program builds upon the principles of differentiated case management (DCM) tested in an earlier demonstration program. DCM aims to produce greater efficiency in court case processing by screening and processing cases according to the distinctive characteristics that impact processing requirements and times. The EDCM applies DCM principles specifically to drug cases, and it coordinates expedited adjudication functions with programs that also expedite the application of various treatment and other intermediate sanctions, both at the pretrial and postadjudication stages. This report presents program summaries for the following EDCM demonstration projects: Middlesex County, N.J.; and Philadelphia, Pa. In addition, a program summary is included for the criminal DCM and Fast Track Drug Case Management Program developed in Ramsey County, Minn., which builds upon the experience of the earlier DCM adjudication program. The program summaries describe the primary operational characteristics and procedures of the program, following a format that addresses the essential elements of an EDCM program and provides guidelines for other jurisdictions interested in adapting the EDCM concept to their judicial processes. A chart that summarizes the comparative features of the demonstration projects and lists the names and addresses of contact persons is provided in the appendix.