NCJ Number
82048
Date Published
Unknown
Length
51 pages
Annotation
Findings and recommendations are presented from a technical assistance visit to the district attorney's office of Madison County, Ala.
Abstract
The purpose of the visit was to analyze problems related to the intake and screening of felony cases, the use of the grand jury, the use of statistics, and the general administration of the office. A functional analysis was performed for each of these areas. As in most Alabama counties, law enforcement agencies file the majority of cases in Madison County, which places the district attorney's office in a reactive position. It is recommended that law enforcement agencies be convinced of the need for a central booking facility, with all felony arrests booked into the county jail. If this cannot be done, police agencies should be required to furnish listings of all persons booked into both the Huntsville city jail and the Madison County jail within 24 hours of booking. A policy should be formulated for the types of cases that can bypass the warrant magistrate and be filed directly with the grand jury. The system of screening cases should be reinstituted, with the screening assignment being rotated among the senior assistants in the office. A goal should be set to have all cases indicted or presented to the grand jury for indictment within 30 days of arrest. Further, files should be established on cases as they come into the office, so that all the information necessary for the grand jury presentation is contained within the file. Other recommendations bearing upon the areas examined are presented. Forms used in the processes examined are appended.