NCJ Number
80875
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
In this videotape, former Assistant Attorney General Daniel J. Meador discusses the role of the Office of Improvement in the Administration of Justice, a new unit of the Department of Justice (DOJ) created during the Carter Administration.
Abstract
The unit has the broad mandate of working on problems all across the justice system, both on the Federal level and, by persuasion and leadership, on the State and local levels. The goals of the office are (1) to improve access to effective justice, (2) to eliminate the adverse side effects of crime on citizens and the courts, (3) to remove impediments to justice which result from federalism and separation of powers, and (4) to improve and increase research in justice problems. As of late February 1978, several major steps were taken to meet these goals. For the first goal, the office proposed compulsory arbitration under the Federal district courts for some civil cases and enhancement of the court magistrates' jurisdiction. Three model neighborhood justice centers, funded by LEAA, were started in Atlanta, Kansas City, and Los Angeles to get hard data on this alternative to court for some disputes. For the second goal, proposals include compensations for victims of crime, revisions of the Federal Criminal Code, and improvement of conditions for jurors and witnesses. For the third goal, a Federal justice council, composed of representatives from all three branches of Government and designed to develop coordinated approaches to common justice problems, is under consideration. In addition, the jurisdiction of Federal and State courts is being reexamined. To meet the fourth goal, the Bureau of Justice Statistics has been created and the Federal Justice Research Fund has been established.