IMPROVING THE CRIMINAL PROCESSING OF MISDEMEANANTS - THE IMPROVED LOWER COURT CASE HANDLING PROGRAM - WILMINGTON (NEW CASTLE COUNTY), DELAWARE - NATIONAL EVALUATION FINAL REPORT

• NCJ Number: 49696
• Author(s): E CHELIMSKY; M FISCHEL; J SASFY
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 115 pages
• Contract Number(s): 76-NI-99-0078
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Mitre Corporation
• Sale Source: Mitre Corporation; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE LOWER COURT CASE HANDLING PROGRAM IN NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE, IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE CASE PROCESSING OF MISDEMEANANTS.

Abstract

THE PROCESSING OF MISDEMEANANT OFFENDERS WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION OF SEVEN PROGRAM COMPONENTS: POLICE CITATIONS, COURT SUMMONS, PRETRIAL RELEASE, SHORT FORM PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION REPORTS, PROMIS (PROSECUTOR MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM), PROSECUTOR CASE SCREENING, AND SELECTED OFFENDER PROBATION. TO INSURE THE IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION OF A LOWER COURTS PROGRAM INSTEAD OF A SERIES OF DISCRETE PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES, AN EIGHTH PROGRAM COMPONENT WAS INSTITUATED REFERRED TO AS THE MASS CASE COORDINATOR. WORKING WITH THE DELAWARE POLICE CHIEFS' REGIONAL COUNCIL, THE MASS CASE COORDINATOR DEVELOPED AND DISTRIBUTED A UNIFORM CITATION TICKET FOR USE BY ALL POLICE AGENCIES IN THE STATE. THE COORDINATOR ALSO WORKED WITH COURTS AND POLICE TO DEVELOP ACCEPTABLE PROCEDURES FOR THE ISSUANCE OF SUMMONS AND TO CONVINCE COURTS AND POLICE OF THE VALUE OF SUMMONS. COMPUTER TERMINALS WERE RENTED TO FACILITATE THE GENERATION OF PRETRIAL RELEASE INFORMATION AND SHORT FORM PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION REPORTS. THE CASE SCREENING COMPONENT ALLOWED PERSONNEL TO IMPLEMENT SCREENING ACTIVITIES IN COURTS. ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PROMIS WERE DESIGNED TO UPGRADE AND STREAMLINE FELONY PROCESSING. TWO PROBATION OFFICERS WERE FUNDED TO SUPERVISE AN EXCLUSIVELY MISDEMEANANT PROBATION CASELOAD AS AN ADJUNCT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. IN TERMS OF GENERAL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT, PROMIS WAS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PROGRAM COMPONENT. A DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CASTLE COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS APPENDED. (DP)