NCJ Number
83175
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 46 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1982) Pages: 49-54
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Potential strategies for criminal justice reform are suggested in the areas of criminal law, detection and apprehension, court efficiency, prisons and victims, and the use of research.
Abstract
A major step in the reform of the criminal justice system should be a careful assessment of what the criminal law should and can be expected to accomplish. Criminal law overreach, particularly into the area of private morality (primarily consensual sexual acts and 'victimless' crimes such as gambling, pornography, and drug use) appears to have a number of dysfunctional consequences. In detection and apprehension, some strategies which should be more widely used are the resident deputy program (officers living in an assigned community extending tours of duty in certain geographical areas), career criminal programs, and the use of special detection units. Improving court efficiency, both in administrative practice and the legal parameters of the judicial enterprise, is necessary to any comprehensive design for overall improvement of the criminal justice system. In corrections, the use of imprisonment has not accomplished the goal desired. Victim restitution appears to be a more promising approach than imprisonment for most offenders. In the area of research use, reliable evaluative and planning data are required for effective management at all levels in the criminal justice system. A total of 27 footnotes are provided.