NCJ Number
76057
Date Published
1979
Length
58 pages
Annotation
This document reports the results of a 3-day Georgia conference on criminal justice which involved State and local government officials in identifying problems associated with the coordination of criminal justice efforts.
Abstract
Initially, the participants heard speakers from the law enforcement, courts, corrections, and juvenile justice components of the system; both component and mixed work groups were then held for the remainder of the conference. The work groups identified the major issues confronting their fields and developed and proposed solutions; priorities were also assigned to both issues and solutions. For example, the law enforcement workgroup identified its priority need for greater selectivity in the hiring of police personnel and for enhanced training guidelines. Solutions included using existing agencies to expand and upgrade basic, inservice, and advanced officer training programs and to implement pay incentives tied to a combination of education, training, and experience. The courts workshop proposed expanded support services and additional State funds to upgrade the quality and training of administrative and management personnel, including law clerks, district attorney investigators, and clerical and support personnel. In answer to the failure of the Department of Offender Rehabilitation to provide the specialized facilities needed for the variety of offenders in the system, the corrections work group recommended half-way houses and the development of programs at the regional mental health hospitals to facilitate treatment of special types of offenders. Finally, the juvenile justice system was found to produce inequities because of its desire to be both a criminal justice system for juveniles and a system for the delivery of social services operating in a disciplined environment. To rectify this role confusion, the juvenile justice work group recommended the immediate creation of a State-funded unified juvenile court system with full-time juvenile court judges. Appendixes include conference format charts, notes on issues and solutions, and the text of the governor's keynote address.