PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME SERIOUSNESS AND SENTENCING BY CRIMINAL JUSTICE PERSONNEL IN COLORADO - A COMPILATION AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF SURVEY RESULTS

• NCJ Number: 49927
• Author(s): P ROSSI; A WEST; P GATSEOS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 64 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-013-76
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: American University
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REPORT OF THE CRIMINAL COURTS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT

Annotation

THE RESULTS OF A STATEWIDE SURVEY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM PERSONNEL IN COLORADO TO ASSESS THE SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION OF FELONY OFFENSES ARE PRESENTED, AND QUESTIONNAIRE FORMS USED IN THE SURVEY ARE INCLUDED.

Abstract

AS A FIRST STEP IN THE SURVEY, A TELEPHONE SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO CONTACT INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN SIMILAR EFFORTS TO OBTAIN AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT. ONE RECOMMENDATION, RESULTING FROM THE SEARCH, WAS THAT CRIMINAL OFFENSES BE EMBEDDED WITHIN RANDOMLY WRITTEN CONTEXTS THAT WOULD CLOSELY SIMULATE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH SENTENCING DECISIONS ARE MADE BY COURTS, CORRECTIONS PERSONNEL, AND PAROLE BOARDS. IT WAS RECOMMENDED FURTHER THAT THE ANTICIPATED FORMAT FOR OBTAINING THE SEVERITY OF OFFENSE RATINGS BY CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM PERSONNEL BE IMPROVED BY ALLOWING FOR FINE GRADATIONS OF JUDGMENTS BEYOND THE ORIGINAL NINE-POINT SCALE. THE SENTENCING SURVEY WAS INITIATED IN DECEMBER 1977. UPON RECEIPT OF CODED DATA RETURNS ON PUNCHED CARDS, THE FOLLOWING TASKS WERE PERFORMED: (1) CRIMES WERE RANKED BY SERIOUSNESS AND SENTENCING RECOMMENDATIONS; (2) CENTRAL TENDENCIES OF RESPONSES WERE MEASURED; (3) RESPONSES WERE ANALYZED, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON INDIVIDUAL MEANS AND VARIANCES; (4) RESPONSES WERE INTERPRETED ACCORDING TO INDIVIDUAL BIASES; (5) CRIMES WERE CATEGORIZED BY CLASSIFICATION; AND (6) THE INTERNAL RELIABILITY CALCULATED FOR EACH RATER WAS MEASURED. THE SURVEY REPORT CONTAINS THE QUESTIONNAIRE FORMS SENT TO 720 INDIVIDUALS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR THEIR USE, TABLES CONTAINING DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, TABLES CONTAINING INFORMATION ON RESPONDENT PERCEPTIONS OF SERIOUSNESS, AND TABLES LISTING RESPONDENT-IDENTIFIED ALTERNATIVES TO SENTENCING. (DEP)