NCJ Number
154825
Date Published
1991
Length
130 pages
Annotation
Court security is a responsibility most often shared by the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, and State and county governments, and a project was initiated by the National Sheriffs' Association to improve the provision of court security services to State and local courts.
Abstract
The first project task was to design a Court Security Incident Form as the data collection instrument. Other project tasks involved data collection, analysis of court security training programs provided by State judiciaries, preparation of a report on court security that profiled incidents and offenders, and development of a court security training program curriculum. During the course of the 18-month project, it was determined that a permanent clearinghouse or central information center for collecting, storing, and disseminating information on court violence and threats against State and local judiciaries can be an invaluable aid to State and local judges, law enforcement executives, and county executives in assessing the risk of court violence in their jurisdictions and in planning court security programs. Data on 243 Court Security Incident Reports did not produce a profile of the court security offender but did provide useful information on situations, locations, and points in judicial proceedings that are of higher than average risk. The project also determined that security duties should be assigned only to persons who have no other responsibilities in the courtroom and that court security officers should complete required basic training. Court security training curricula are included, as well as lesson plan preparation guides. An appendix contains a guide for trainers and court security personnel who are responsible for profiling court security violations.