Standard Case Set - A Tool for Criminal Justice Decisionmakers

• NCJ Number: 79226
• Author(s): J E Jacoby; L R Mellon; S H Turner; E C Ratledge
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 80 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-NI-AX-0006; 79-NI-AX-0034
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Bureau of Social Science Research, Inc
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Training (Handbook/Manual)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This is one of four reports on prosecutorial decisionmaking.

Annotation

This report explains how a set of standard cases can be used to test consistency and uniformity in decisionmaking among professional personnel within a criminal justice agency and then presents the 30 criminal cases that compose the set along with evaluation forms.

Abstract

The standard case set was developed as a research tool for a nationwide project on prosecutorial decisionmaking, but it has the potential to improve the management, operations, and training functions of both prosecutor and public defender offices. The 30 cases in this handbook were selected from approximately 250 factual situations and reflect a uniform distribution among the following perspectives: the seriousness of the offense, the seriousness of the defendant's prior record, and the case's evidentiary strength. Thus, the set does not represent normal patterns of crime, which generally show high frequencies of less serious crimes. Each case has three parts: a brief description of the accused and the arrest charges, a summary of the circumstances of the criminal event, and the physical and testimonial evidence. Also provided are an evaluation form for the participating decisionmaker and an identifier form for the evaluator. The standard case set measures levels of disagreement among staff as well as agreement levels among organization units in an agency. It also permits comparisons between central and branch offices and can be used as a training and recruitment tool. Procedures are outlined for administering the standard case set and analyzing the results. (Author summary modified)