NCJ Number
95904
Editor(s)
D R Struckhoff
Date Published
1984
Length
208 pages
Annotation
The four papers in this volume address current issues in criminal justice that confront Chicago: media coverage of crime, police policy regarding the use of deadly force, policing public housing projects, and the impact of procedural reforms and sentencing laws on the courts and corrections.
Abstract
A former reporter for a Chicago newspaper and professor of journalism first discusses the ethics of the journalism profession and the need for improved cooperation between the media and the justice system. He covers ways the media can positively impact the justice system, as well as topics that have not received sufficient media coverage. The second paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the law and trends in police use of deadly force. The author concludes that police departments' lack of reasonable restrictive deadly force policies not only enhances the chances of needless bloodshed, but also can lead to civil rights litigation. A case study of efforts to police the Cabrini-Green public housing complex focuses on the special proactive police unit created for the project in April 1981 and reasons for its success in dramatically reducing serious crime. The final presentation compares the Cook County court system in 1974 and 1980. It finds that while actual reported incidence of major crime has leveled off and the quality of dispositions produced by the courts improved over the 6-year period, correctional programs have seriously deteriorated.