NCJ Number
143157
Date Published
1976
Length
176 pages
Annotation
This study presents a historical overview of crime and the origins and development of the criminal justice system in the United States during the last 200 years; it also describes the management and operations of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA).
Abstract
At the country's founding, the criminal justice system consisted of a loose arrangement of policing services, many staffed by citizens or part-time security personnel. Its courts had just been freed from the control of a foreign government. Corrections facilities were characterized by unspeakable conditions. The Declaration of Independence stated the intention to form a country in which the individual's rights would be paramount. The laws would be applied equally to all. In the subsequent 200 years, many individuals and groups have tried to reform and improve the criminal justice system. Despite these efforts, crime has remained a serious problem. LEAA was created through the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. It has supported research and innovative projects in criminal justice and juvenile justice. Photographs, illustrations, and appended reference lists, descriptions of exemplary projects, addresses of LEAA regional offices, and related information