Management Science To Aid the Manager - An Example From the Criminal Justice System

• NCJ Number: 77407
• Journal: Sloan Management Review Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1973) Pages: 35-48
• Author(s): A Blumstein
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Portions of this paper were presented at the Case-Western Reserve Symposium on Systems Approach and the City, Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 9-11, 1970. Other parts were presented at the International Symposium on Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Systems, October 3-5, 1972.

Annotation

This paper explores the problems involved in applying management science theories to social system operations and then describes the JUSSIM interactive computer model, which was developed by the Urban Systems Institute of Carnegie-Mellon University to aid criminal justice system planners.

Abstract

The criminal justice system is characterized by a downstream flow of information from reported crimes to corrections. The information flow through any stage represents only a portion of the data processed at a previous stage. The subsystems have traditionally operated autonomously and independently, subject to judicial review. The 1967 President's Crime Commission recognized the need to integrate the operating policies of these components, and the 1968 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act led to the creation of criminal justice planning agencies in each State. Unfortunately, these bodies have concentrated on grant administration rather than methods to enhance planning. Characteristics of social systems which limit the use of management science approaches include the difficulties of measuring the impact of social services in dollars, the nonquantifiable factors which influence many decisions, uncertainty about cause and effect relationships, and the inadequate technical knowledge of most managers. With these considerations in mind, the JUSSIM model was developed to permit criminal justice planners and managers to test the downstream workload, resource, and cost implications associated with contemplated changes within their systems. Court operations are used to illustrate JUSSIM's basic concepts. The operations of the JUSSIM model begin with a base case reflecting the system's current operations. The user then creates a test case to compare with the base case already stored. These processes and a feedback version of JUSSIM are described in detailed. Several States are organizing data collection efforts to describe their system as a base case for the JUSSIM model. The model has also been a valuable teaching tool for system planners. JUSSIM is not limited to criminal justice, but could be applied to other social services where the concerns are case flows, costs, and resources. Footnotes and five references are provided. (Author abstract modified)