Coherence and Coordination in the Administration of Criminal Justice (From Criminal Law in Action: An Overview of Current Issues in Western Societies, P 229-245, 1988, Jan van Dijk, Charles Haffmans, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-126687)

• NCJ Number: 126702
• Author(s): D W Steenhuis
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 17 pages
• Sale Source: Kluwer Law International
• Publication Type: Survey (Cross-Cultural)
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

Criminal justice in the Netherlands is defined as an integrated system that includes the judicial system, the bar, the police, and the penal system.

Abstract

Input to the criminal justice system by the police is largely determined by the environment in which the system operates, namely society and private individuals who report offenses. Police officers then determine what reported offenses should receive priority and subsequent court processing. The criminal justice system has traditionally concentrated on the offender, but the position of the victim must also receive attention. In an overburdened criminal justice system, coordination problems result with respect to what offenses should be dealt with, what kind of intervention is appropriate, and what group should be the main target of intervention. If an expansion of the criminal justice system's capacity is impossible or undesirable, the only possibility is to make better use of existing resources. Resources should be allocated between anticrime police operations and other criminal justice tasks. Criminal justice system organization is also important, but changing the organizational culture is difficult. What is essential is that persons who occupy senior positions in the criminal justice system be trained as generalists who see the system as a whole and coordinate the various component parts. 37 footnotes and 1 table