NCJ Number
63893
Date Published
1979
Length
201 pages
Annotation
AGGREGATE RELATIONS AMONG CRIME, DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESOURCES, COURT PROCESSING, AND FINAL SANCTION OUTCOMES AT THE COUNTY COURT LEVEL IN CALIFORNIA WERE EXAMINED.
Abstract
DATA ON CALIFORNIA COUNTIES FOR THE 1966-1974 PERIOD WERE EXTRACTED FROM REPORTS ISSUED BY THE BUREAU OF CRIMINAL STATISTICS IN SACRAMENTO. SIX MAJOR AREAS WERE STUDIED IN EXPLORING LINKAGES AMONG CRIME, THE LEGAL PROCESS, AND PUNISHMENT: (1) FELONY CRIME RATE REPORTED TO THE POLICE, (2) PERSONNEL AND EXPENDITURES PER CAPITA FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES, (3) EXPENDITURE INBALANCE BETWEEN AGENCIES AND CASELOAD PRESSURE IN CRIMINAL COURTS, (4) FELONY COURT CONVICTION RATE AND METHOD OF CASE DISPOSITION, (5) PUNISHMENT RATE PRODUCED BY CRIMINAL COURTS IN TERMS OF SENTENCING OUTCOME, AND (6) DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF COUNTIES. CRIMINAL JUSTICE PRACTICES IN CALIFORNIA, ESPECIALLY THE LOW PROBABILITY OF PUNISHMENT, INDICATED THE MINIMAL DETERRENT EFFECT OF PUNISHMENT. INEQUALITY WAS AN IMPORTANT DETERMINANT OF POLICE FUNDING WHICH, IN TURN, WAS RELATED TO CRIME REPORTING. INEQUALITY ALSO CORRELATED WITH COURT CASELOAD, INDEPENDENT OF OTHER POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS. CASELOAD PRESSURE DID NOT SEEM TO LESSEN THE ADVERSARIAL NATURE OF COURT PROCESSING, BUT IT DID APPEAR TO MINIMIZE FORMAL PENALTY STRUCTURES RESULTING IN LESS CERTAIN AND SEVERE PUNISHMENT. FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE THAT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM'S CAPACITY OF GENERATING AND ADMINISTERING PUNISHMENT IS REDUCED BY CASES BROUGHT BEFORE COURTS, I.E., DETERRENCE DOES NOT OPERATE EFFECTIVELY UNDER PREVAILING SYSTEM PRACTICES. CRIMINAL JUSTICE THEORY IS DISCUSSED. A LITERATURE REVIEW IS PRESENTED, WITH REFERENCE TO SOCIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE GENERAL DETERRENT EFFECT OF IMPRISONMENT. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED, AND SUPPORTING DATA ARE APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DEP)