NCJ Number
82280
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Representatives of the Night Prosecutor Program in Columbus, Ohio, discuss the program's purpose, procedures, and effectiveness and examine its level of acceptance among police and prosecutors and its applicability.
Abstract
The Columbus program handles minor criminal conduct arising from interpersonal civil disputes. It aims to prevent these individuals from acquiring arrest records and the court system from further burdening its schedule. The dispute settlement procedure is agreeable to the police as a measure short of arrest but still involving legal procedures and to the prosecutor as an avenue of justice that does not enlarge the court backlog. Furthermore, it has mitigated effectively between the disputing parties. The Columbus program is workable because hearings are held at a convenient time for clients (evenings and Saturdays) and are only 30 minutes in duration. The police divert clients to the program and within a week, a hearing officer (i.e., a law student) meets with them, at which time they present their cases and work out an acceptable resolution. The hearing officer ensures that the resolution is implemented by calling both parties within 6 weeks. Only 5 percent of such cases have remained unresolved. The program's costs in fiscal year 1974 were $40-$80 per case and have since decreased to between $12 and $15. The program began with LEAA funding and now relys only upon local funds. Organizational charts illustrate the program's structure and case processing flow. Audience questions concern the applicability of the Columbus program to other areas, program accessibility for juveniles, and effectiveness in reducing court backlog.