NCJ Number
99016
Date Published
1985
Length
15 pages
Annotation
A systems simulation approach to the total criminal justice process is described, and its uses in criminal justice system decisionmaking are discussed, as are methods for implementing computer modeling approaches.
Abstract
The CANJUS model for the Canadian system is based on a linear systems model -- JUSSIM -- originally developed by Blumstein and Larson (1969). Basic inputs include a set of 23 crime types; a definition of stages for the courts, charging the individual, sentences, penal institutions, and parole; a set of flows of persons among the different stages in the system; a set of resources, including police, judges, prosecuting attorneys, correctional and probation officers, and a set of costs of these resources per unit time; and a set of workloads or processing times for a person charged with a crime type in the different stages of the system. The model can estimate processing costs for a given number of people, a given type of crime, and a given stage of the system. The model can also aggregate total workload requirements over parts or all of the system and can compute total resources required by crime type in parts or all of the system. The model provides a description of present activity within the Canadian criminal justice system, assists in developing policies and programs, evaluates existing programs, and examines criminal justice expenditures. Additional uses of such models include prediction of prison populations, the effects of immigration on crime control, and policy and program impacts. Diagrams, tables, and 23 references are provided.