NCJ Number
85664
Journal
Bewaerungshilfe Volume: 28 Issue: 1 Dated: (1981) Pages: 7-16
Date Published
1981
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A 2-year pilot project, begun in Hamburg, West Germany, in 1978, introduced social worker court assistance to defendants at the pretrial level.
Abstract
The project model was based on the Vera Institute of Justice activities in New York. Assistance officers interviewed defendants with respect to their background, family and socioeconomic circumstances, and personality factors upon judges' requests. Their reports were submitted to the prosecution and the courts with the intent of assisting case disposition decisions. The program was intended to shorten processing and detention time, mitigate the trauma of arrest for defendants, and provide more thorough and reliable information for judicial decisionmaking. Interaction between social workers and court officials was intended to widen the perspectives of both professions for each other as well as for the clients. The project was a joint effort involving the Justice Department in Hamburg and the Parole Assistance Service. The professions involved evaluated the program in general to be a success. Judges relied on the information provided by social workers. Background reports proved useful in setting realistic fines and conditions. Social workers found the court assistance interviews a good basis for referrals to further social work services and treatment programs. Client involvement in the interviews gave them a sense of participation in the proceedings, and lighter sentences or diversion encouraged trust in the social work service and judicial system.