NCJ Number
63323
Date Published
1979
Length
9 pages
Annotation
RISING CRIME RATES AND INCREASING CASELOADS AND POPULATIONS IN ALL PARTS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE DOCUMENTED FOR THE UNITED STATES AND NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Abstract
DATA FROM THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS WERE OBTAINED FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE BACK TO 1959 AND INFORMATION ON COURT CASELOADS (DEEMED A MEASURE OF POLICE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS) WERE COLLECTED FROM THE BIENNIAL REPORTS OF THE STATE JUDICIAL COUNCIL. DATA WERE ALSO COLLECTED FOR THE STATE'S PRISON POPULATION AND PAROLE AND PROBATION CASELOADS FOR 1965-1975. WHEN GRAPHED SEMILOGARITHMICALLY, SEVERAL TENDENCIES SURFACED. THE NATIONWIDE INCIDENCE OF ALL KINDS OF CRIME APPEARS TO BE RISING EVENLY SO AS TO PRODUCE A DOUBLING EVERY 8 TO 9 YEARS. NEW HAMPSHIRE CRIME, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MURDER (ONLY 2 OR 3 PER 100,000 POPULATION ANNUALLY), TENDS TO DOUBLE EVERY 4 TO 5 YEARS, WHILE ITS ANNUAL CRIMINAL COURT CASELOADS DOUBLE ABOUT EVERY 5 YEARS AND CASES REMAINING UNTRIED AND PENDING DOUBLE EVERY 3 YEARS. IN 1960, THE CRIMINAL DOCKET CONSTITUTED ONLY 12.5 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL CASELOAD, BUT BY 1977 WAS 25 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL COURT BUSINESS. THE EFFECTIVE CAPACITY OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRISON HAS NOT BEEN INCREASED IN A CENTURY, BUT THE FLOWTHROUGH HAS INCREASED 300 PERCENT, EVIDENTLY FACILITATED BY ALLOWING PAROLE ON MINIMUM TERM. COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS ALSO RELIEVE PRESSURE ON THE PRISON. EFFORTS TO INFLUENCE CRIMINAL JUSTICE DECISIONMAKING BY USING THE AFOREMENTIONED DOCUMENTATION HAS THUS FAR PROVEN FUTILE, SINCE THERE IS NO COORDINATING AUTHORITY FOR THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE JOINT INADEQUACIES OF THE AUTONOMOUS SEGMENTS OF THE SYSTEM. GRAPHIC DATA ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)