NCJ Number
189301
Journal
Sheriff Volume: 53 Issue: 4 Dated: July-August 2001 Pages: 34-37
Date Published
July 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the use of technology in assessing threats to judicial officials.
Abstract
Sheriffs' offices, charged with protecting county judicial officials, and the U.S. Marshals Service, responsible for protecting Federal judicial officials, are both faced with identifying potential risks, assessing their degree of seriousness, and then "managing" problem individuals away from violence. The MOSAIC process is a computer-based assessment system for screening inappropriate communications. It uses a question and multiple choice answer format, with a specific focus on risk factors pertinent to the judiciary. The assessment process poses more than 30 questions and considers several hundred variables related to determining the level of risk confronting any judicial official. The questions are drawn from practical case management experience and from detailed research into violence toward jurists. Although originally designed for assessing threats to Federal judicial officials, MOSAIC's assessments are relevant to all aspects of the judicial setting. Notes