Chapter 12
Supporting Innovation in
Adjudication
Overview
The challenge of dispensing justice in today's crime control environment has prompted new strategies in adjudicating offenders. These approaches reflect a renewed emphasis on ensuring public safety and offender accountability, while, at the same time, improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the adjudication process. Today's most innovative approaches to adjudicating offenders build on the problem-solving strategy pioneered in community policing to involve prosecutors and court officials in working more closely and strategically with their communities. In many jurisdictions today, prosecutors are working with law enforcement and other justice and service agencies, as well as with community residents themselves, to ensure coordination, information-sharing, and problem-solving strategies focusing on overall improvement of the community environment.
New initiatives--such as drug courts, restorative justice, teen courts, and community prosecution--are in place in many states' justice systems. These innovations thrive and depend on partnerships that involve the community, justice agencies, and targeted service providers in a unified approach to preventing crime and delivering appropriate justice services and sanctions. Within the justice system, several jurisdictions have formed adjudication partnerships involving the courts, prosecution, and public defenders working on coordinated, interagency efforts to address existing problems with existing resources. The formation of these new alliances has emphasized the need for rethinking case processing policies and related information-sharing practices, integrating data systems, and establishing communication networks to ensure that community safety goals are realized.
In Fiscal Year 1999, OJP is committing technical assistance resources to continue and expand training resources for judges, prosecutors, and public defenders; support innovative justice program models; and focus attention on emerging issues in enhancing juvenile and criminal justice statutes. National reporting systems administered through BJS and OJJDP will receive funding to update information on the organization, work, and trends of juvenile and criminal courts in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In partnership with BJA, BJS will implement a national-level data collection program to measure the way in which states and localities provide legal services for indigent defendants. Crimes against the elderly is the subject of a new BJA grant program. OJJDP will continue providing technical assistance to help juvenile and family court systems to improve the handling of child abuse and neglect cases.
NIJ is developing a research agenda that will examine the impact of specialized courts on the entire court system; the effect of programs to increase public understanding of the court system; the impact of innovative procedures addressing the needs of juveniles being waived into the adult court system; and technology's impact on courtroom procedures and public access to litigation. OVC is funding the development of information and training materials on victim-related issues for juvenile court personnel and probation staff use in improving services to victims of juvenile offenders. These initiatives are described in this chapter. A major initiative also is planned to assist state and local governments in the design and operation of justice integrated information systems. This initiative is described in Chapter 8, Enhancing Technology's Use In Addressing Crime.
New Programs
Funding for the following programs will be available as noted. For information about individual program solicitations or application kits, check OJP's Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov or call the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) at 1-800/851-3420.
Community Prosecution Grant Program
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: $5 million
OJP Sponsor:
Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
Eligibility: To Be Determined
Project Description: In FY 1999, under the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services' (COPS), Congress appropriated $5 million to be used for pilot community prosecution programs. Funds will support efforts to plan, implement, or enhance community prosecution programs. OJP is funding the program, which will be managed by BJA. OJP is developing program guidelines and application material, including eligibility requirements for this program, which should be available in late March 1999. As it becomes available, further information will be posted on OJP's Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov.
Strategies for Community
Prosecution
Grantee: Competitive
FY99
Funding: Multiple awards of up to $85,000 each
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Eligibility: State, local, and tribal public prosecutor offices.
Project Description: BJA solicited proposals in FY 1998 from state, local, and tribal public prosecutor offices to develop long-term, proactive strategies involving a partnership among the prosecutor's office, law enforcement, the community, and public and private organizations in which the authority of the prosecutor's office is used to solve problems and improve public safety. In FY 1999, BJA will make awards to those submissions selected through peer and BJA staff review.
Strategies for Developing Community Courts
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: Multiple awards of up to
$225,000 each
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Eligibility: State, local, and tribal courts and units of government.
Project Description: In FY 1998, BJA solicited proposals from state, local, and tribal courts and units of government to develop community courts that are linked directly to the communities they serve, that focus on problem solving, and that respond immediately in each case with appropriate sanctions and assistance. In FY 1999, BJA will make awards to those submissions selected through peer and BJA staff review.
Emerging Issues in Indigent
Defense Management and Technology
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: Multiple awards of up to
$80,000 each
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Eligibility: State, local, and tribal indigent defense offices.
Project Description: BJA solicited proposals in FY 1998 from state, local, and tribal indigent defense offices to improve case management practices and build capacity to access technology. Applicants were invited to submit concept papers under two broad categories: (1) improving case management and (2) training. Improving case management may include, but is not limited to, early entry into cases, expanding defender resources, expediting the assessment and disposition of cases, and increasing client access to social services. Priority will be given to proposals that fund training addressing emerging technology and evidentiary aids such as DNA testing. In FY 1999, BJA will make awards to those submissions selected through peer and BJA staff review.
The Justice Project
Grantee: Fund for
the City of New York
FY99 Funding: $500,000
OJP Sponsor: Various
OJP components
Project Description: The Center for Court Innovation will help develop and shape a national conversation about the impact of problem-solving roles among criminal justice practitioners. A group of experts, including judges, court administrators, law professors, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and others will be convened to provide input and help guide the project. Public discussions will be held at selected law schools around the country. These discussions will be documented and broadly disseminated.
Telemarketing Fraud Against the Elderly
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: $450,000 (for 3 to 5 grants)
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Eligibility: State and local prosecutors and investigators
Project Description: BJA is soliciting proposals from state and local prosecutors and investigators with an established protocol to assist victims of financial crimes to serve as demonstration sites for a collaborative, multijurisdictional approach to prosecuting and preventing telemarketing fraud and other scams targeting the elderly. Selected sites will demonstrate their ability to coordinate efforts among investigators, prosecutors, private-sector partners, and others to identify and shut down fraudulent telemarketing schemes and enhance prevention efforts. These sites will work with the Telemarketing Fraud Training Task Force--which comprises the National Association of Attorneys General, the American Prosecutors Research Institute, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the American Association of Retired Persons--to enhance current enforcement, prosecution, and prevention efforts. The experiences of the selected sites will be documented and assessed for possible replication in other jurisdictions.
Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity-Building Programs
The following describes both current and new initiatives.
Adjudication System Technical
Assistance Project
Grantee: American University
FY99
Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: In partnership with the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the Pretrial Services Resource Center, and the Justice Management Institute, American University will continue to provide technical assistance to state and local criminal courts and to other adjudication systems, such as pretrial and defense. This technical assistance will include onsite consultation to individual courts and jurisdictions by senior practitioner experts drawn from the national adjudication system community and from senior staff of the consortium organizations; self-help workshops for judicial system representatives on topics of common interest; publication of best-practice guides on topics of importance to judicial system planning and operations; and office-based assistance provided by senior staff of the consortium organizations. For further information, see the Website at www.american.edu/justice.
Community Prosecution Technical
Assistance
Grantee: American Prosecutors
Research Institute
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor:
BJA
Project Description: The American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) will build on the training and technical assistance developed in previous grant periods to enhance its documents and workshops serving prosecutors interested in planning and implementing community prosecution programs. Funding also will be provided to at least three demonstration sites to support the planning and implementation of community prosecution programs. APRI will document the progress of the site visits and report its findings through its various national publications.
Community Court Technical Assistance
Grantee: Center for Court Innovation
FY99 Funding: To Be
Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Description of Services: Under this project, the Center for Court Innovation provides assistance in developing a community court. Located in neighborhoods rather than centralized office complexes, community courts take an aggressive approach to solving neighborhood problems such as vandalism, landlord-tenant disputes, juvenile delinquency, drug trafficking. Staff at the Center for Court Innovation answer questions about community courts, provide information and practical tools, lead tours of the Midtown Community Court-the first community court in the nation-and offer individualized planning support. For further information see the Website at www.communityjustice.org/frameset.asp?pt=y&pg=communitycourtsindex.html or call the Center for Court Innovation at 212/373-8098.
Assessment and Enhancement of Indigent
Defense Services
Grantee: National Legal Aid and
Defender Association
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor:
BJA
Project Description: This project will help state and local indigent defense organizations improve the management of drug and violent crime cases. NLADA will develop and distribute comprehensive evaluation instruments for the project's onsite training and various technical assistance initiatives. The results of the training will be analyzed to improve and expand future technical assistance to the defender community. NLADA will also begin an in depth study of defender caseloads and workloads that will be an important resource for updating caseload standards. For more information, see NLADA's Website at www.nlada.org.
Assistance to Indigent Defense:
Strengthening Defender Management
Grantee: Vera
Institute of Justice
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor:
BJA
Project Description: This project seeks more active participation of defender managers in criminal justice system policy development and planning. The Vera Institute of Justice will deliver training and technical assistance to defender managers across the country to give them the skills and knowledge to actively participate in system-wide policy development and planning. This project will support three weekend-long executive seminars for 100 defender mangers, training modules for statewide workshops, post-training video conferences on emerging issues, and at least three issue briefs. The project complements the training and technical assistance currently offered by the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association, the American Bar Association, American University, and The Spangenberg Group.
Computer Crimes Project
Grantee: National Association of Attorneys General
FY99 Funding:
To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) will assist state attorneys general in examining computer crimes and advanced computer technology systems used to commit computer crimes. NAAG will undertake a variety of activities to facilitate communication and cooperation among the states in establishing new computer crime units.
Suffolk University
Law School Juvenile Justice Center
Grantee:
Suffolk University Law School
FY99 Funding: $1.3 million
OJP
Sponsor: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
Project Description: The Suffolk University Law School Juvenile Justice Center works to improve the quality of legal representation provided to juveniles charged with crimes in designated Boston area courts. To achieve this goal, the center will provide three types of services: direct, comprehensive legal representation by staff and student attorneys; substantive and procedural training for the juvenile defense bar; and a program of outreach into community youth programs and schools. The Juvenile Justice Center also will establish important linkages with relevant community organizations and agencies to further promote the comprehensive legal representation of juveniles.
Juvenile Justice Prosecution Unit
Grantee: American Prosecutors Research Institute
FY99 Funding:
To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: This project aims to increase and improve
prosecutor involvement in juvenile justice. It assembles and disseminates
program information and research findings to prosecutors, and conducts a
continuing needs assessment by a working group of experienced prosecutors
on district attorney requirements in the juvenile justice area. This
project also develops and presents specialized training seminars for
elected and appointed district attorneys and for juvenile unit chiefs on
prosecutor leadership roles in the juvenile justice system and
clarification or resolution of important juvenile justice issues.
Youth Court-An Intensive
Training and Technical Assistance Delivery Program
Grantee:
To Be Determined
FY99 Funding: $400,000 (including $50,000 from the
U.S. Department of Education)
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: Youth courts typically handle alcohol and minor drug offenses involving juveniles. These programs are designed to prevent delinquency by holding young people accountable for their delinquent and criminal behavior by enforcing constructive sanctions in the peer group and in the community. This project will provide intensive training and technical assistance to strengthen existing youth court designs and to support the development of new youth courts based on effective design models. OJJDP is collaborating with the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York and the Departments of Transportation, Education, and Health and Human Services to enhance the delivery of training and technical assistance.
Development of Caseload Standards for
Prosecutors
Grantee: American Prosecutors Research
Institute
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: This funding will continue the development and implementation of caseload standards for prosecutors which will help prosecutors make personnel and resource allocations. The project will also develop a workload assessment guide that can be applied in jurisdictions throughout the United States. A comprehensive background examination of the issues and problems associated with establishing caseload standards for local prosecutors will be conducted. The project will offer comparisons of prosecutor's office and individual caseloads from selected jurisdictions across the country that should provide a meaningful workload assessment and budgeting tool.
Urban Court Managers Network
Grantee: Justice Management Institute
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: This project enhances the ability of a key group of justice system practitioners, court administrators in America's urban trial courts) to serve as catalysts for taking action on promising innovations such as community courts, court-monitored drug testing and treatment referrals, domestic violence programs, and delay reduction initiatives.
Behind Closed Doors: Improving Jury Deliberations
Grantee: American Judicature Society
FY99 Funding: To Be
Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: The American Judicature Society (AJS) will promote and market the Jury Deliberation Guidebook to various court jurisdictions and professional organizations so that the importance and usefulness of providing guidance to jurors before they begin deliberations can be demonstrated. The project will conduct impact studies and make presentations to selected jurisdictions, judicial conferences, and to the ABA annual meeting. AJS also will develop a CD-ROM for distribution to state judicial education centers.
Statewide
Magistrate Information System
Grantee: North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts
FY99
Funding: $10 million (Transfer from COPS)
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: This project continues and enhances the activities of a grant to support the installation and training of a statewide automated magistrate system. The project will provide software and licenses for all of North Carolina's 100 counties and hardware for six counties. The automated magistrate system will provide every magistrate with the technology to immediately enter magistrate orders into the statewide criminal justice information system and to instantly access real-time defendant information on prior offenses, court supervision, and bond status. (See also Chapter 8, Enhancing Technology's Use in Addressing Crime.)
Judicial
Education and Training (earmark)
Grantee: National Judicial College
FY99 Funding: $1 million
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: This award is a supplemental grant to continue the National Judicial College's training for state and local trial judges. Training supported by this grant will cover issues related to community courts, tribal courts, courtroom technology, and state court responses to the federal habeas corpus rules. A limited number of scholarships also are provided under the grant. For further information, see the National Judicial College's Website at www.judges.org.
Pretrial
Justice Institute Development
Grantee: Pretrial
Services Resource Center
FY99 Funding: $100,000
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: The Pretrial Services Resource Center (PSRC) will continue to develop a Pretrial Justice Institute that will provide training to criminal justice decision makers on technology, program practices, and legal issues. As part of the project, PSRC will convene a regent board to generate a pilot curriculum for the Institute.
Advocacy
Training (earmark)
Grantee: Interagency Transfer to the Executive Office for United
States Attorneys (EOUSA)
FY99 Funding: $4.5 million
OJP Sponsor:
BJA
Project Description: This interagency transfer will support the participation of the National District Attorney's Association in legal education and advocacy training at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina.
Permanent Families for Abused
and Neglected Children: A National Training and Technical Assistance
Project
Grantee: National Council of
Juvenile and Family Court Judges
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP
Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: This national judicial training project works to prevent unnecessary out-of-home placement of abused and neglected children, safely reunify families of children already in care, ensure permanent adoptive placement of children already in care, and secure permanent adoptive homes when family reunification is not possible. The project works closely with the National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association and other national organizations. Project goals are accomplished through judicial and interdisciplinary training and technical assistance on federal laws relating to this issue at 10 state and 5 national conferences. For more information, see the NCJFCJ Website listed above. See Chapter 4 for other programs that focus on child abuse and neglect issues.
Model Court -Improving the
Juvenile and Family Courts' Handling of Child Abuse and Neglect Cases,
Phase II
Grantee: National Council of
Juvenile and Family Court Judges
FY99 Funding: $1.9 million
OJP
Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: Funding will support the fourth year of a national initiative to implement model approaches and programs to enable juvenile and family court systems to improve the handling of child abuse and neglect cases. The model programs and approaches documented by the grantee will:
Child Abuse Prosecution Training and Technical Assistance
Grantee: American Prosecutors Research Institute
FY99 Funding:
To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: This project supports programs of the National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse (NCPCA). A major center goal is to improve the quality of child abuse prosecutions by assisting elected or appointed prosecutors at the local, state, and federal levels. The center's major services to prosecutors include training, technical assistance, and publications in the subject area. Other programs and projects that focus on child abuse and neglect issues are described in Chapter 4, Combating Family Violence.
Investigation and Prosecution
of Parental Abduction Cases
Grantee: American
Prosecutors Research Institute
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP
Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: The project's purpose is to improve the investigation and prosecution of parental abduction cases by heightening the awareness of prosecutors and law enforcement agents of the complexity and severity of parental kidnaping. APRI staff provide technical assistance, develop training programs, and produce publications related to the investigation and prosecution of parental kidnaping. The project provides current information, case law, statutes, literature, research, referrals, and investigative and trial tactics to prosecutors and law enforcement officials; develops and presents training to professionals; and produces and disseminates written or multimedia materials about parental kidnaping.
Technical Assistance to Juvenile Courts
Grantee: National Center for Juvenile Justice
FY99 Funding: To
Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: This project provides technical assistance based on the needs of the practitioner in the field. The project responds to requests from the field, implements special initiatives that respond to deficits in the field, and maintains an automated database and resource center of research and reference materials. For more information, see NCJJ's Website at www.ncjj.org.
Juvenile and Family Court Training Project
Grantee: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
(NCJFCJ)
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: This project provides training for judges, hearing officers, and juvenile and family court personnel on delinquency, child abuse, neglect, and dependency issues. Training and technical assistance also focuses on alcohol and other drug-related issues and disproportionate minority confinement. An academic master's degree is available for judges completing all program and examination requirements. For more information, see the NCJFCJ Website at www.ncjfcj.org.
Juvenile Court Response to Victims of Juvenile Offenders
Grantee: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
FY99
Funding: $150,000
OJP Sponsor: Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
Project Description: This project is developing information and training materials on victim-related issues for juvenile court personnel and probation staff to improve services to victims of juvenile offenders. In the continuation phase of the project, the grantee will use newly developed materials to provide intensive training and technical assistance to three to five juvenile court jurisdictions at the regional, state, or local levels. The grantee will also disseminate information about the project and its products and provide limited technical assistance to additional court jurisdictions.
Telemarketing Fraud Against the Elderly Technical
Assistance and Training
Grantees: NAAG, APRI, the
American Association of Retired Persons Foundation, and
the National White Collar Crime Center
FY99
Funding: $2 million
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: This award will continue BJA's support of a consortium of prevention, education, and prosecution projects aimed at thwarting fraudulent telemarketers preying on senior citizens. A major component of the project is the State/Local Telemarketing Fraud Training Task Force, a multi-agency committee led by the National Association of Attorneys General that includes the National District Attorneys Association through the American Prosecutors Research Institute, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the American Association of Retired Persons Foundation. Project goals are to broaden criminal and civil enforcement efforts by increasing the number of state and local telemarketing prosecutions; coordinate statewide and local investigations and prosecutions; enhance technical and case preparation assistance for state and local prosecutors; and increase U.S.-Canadian cooperation to reduce the cross-border flow of telemarketing fraud.
Home Improvement Fraud Against Seniors
Grantee:
American Prosecutors Research Institute
FY99 Funding: To Be
Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: The American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) will continue to enhance the ability of local prosecutors to protect senior citizens from home improvement fraud through increased prosecution, prevention, and public awareness. APRI will revise and update the National District Attorneys Association economic crimes fraud manual to assist prosecutors and professionals in the prosecution of home improvement fraud. In addition, APRI will conduct a survey of local prosecutor offices with economic crime units to gather information on prosecutor practices to counter home improvement fraud; conduct a networking and training workshop to enable local prosecutors and other professionals to learn about opportunities for cooperation with other organizations; and create a professional support and mentoring network for local prosecutors.
National Alliance for Model
State Drug Laws
Grantee: National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws
FY99
Funding: $1 million (transfer from ONDCP and the Department of the
Treasury)
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: The grantee will continue to educate state policy makers on the 42 Model State Drug Laws developed by the President's Commission for Model State Drug Laws by supporting at least six statewide Model State Drug Law conferences. The Alliance will also act as a resource center to states interested in identifying legislative and program improvements in drug abuse reduction and prevention. For further information, contact Sherry Green, National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, 703/836-6100.
Research and Statistical Programs
The following describes both current and new initiatives.
National Survey of Indigent
Defense Systems
Grantee: National Opinion Research
Center
FY99 Funding: $350,000
OJP Sponsor: BJA and the Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS)
Project Description: In partnership with BJA, BJS will implement (over three years) a national-level data collection program to measure the way in which states and localities provide legal services for indigent defendants, their caseload levels, and related costs, policies, and practices. Court-appointed legal representation plays a critical role in the nation's justice system. Much has changed over the past decade as states and local defender systems rely more on contract and private services. The National Indigent Defense Survey will assist in developing a better understanding of the changing nature of public defender services in the United States.
National Judicial Reporting Program
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the
U.S. Bureau of the Census
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP
Sponsor: BJS
Project Description: The National Judicial Reporting Program, conducted every 2 years, surveys a nationwide sample of felony trial courts in collecting detailed information on demographic characteristics of felons, conviction offenses, type of sentences, sentence lengths, and amount of time from arrest to conviction and sentencing.
State
Court Processing Statistics
Grantee:
Pretrial Services Resource Center
FY99
Funding: To Be Determined
OJP
Sponsor: BJS
Project Description: State Court Processing Statistics (SCPS) provides data on the criminal justice processing of persons charged with felonies in 40 jurisdictions representative of the 75 largest counties. These counties account for about half the serious crime nationwide. The program tracks felony defendants from charging by the prosecutor until disposition of their cases or for a maximum of 12 months. Data are obtained on demographic characteristics, arrest offense(s), criminal justice status at time of arrest, prior arrests and convictions, bail and pretrial releases decisions, court appearance record, rearrests while on pretrial release, type and outcome of adjudication, and type and length of sentence if convicted.
State Court Statistics Project
Grantee: State Justice Institute and
the National Center for State Courts
FY99
Funding: To Be Determined
OJP
Sponsor: BJS
Project Description: The State Court Statistics Project provides data on state appellate and trial court caseloads for the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Information is reported on case type, case filings, case processing, disposition, and appellate opinions. Data on state appellate caseloads are divided into mandatory and discretionary cases. Data on trial court caseloads include information about criminal cases, nondomestic civil cases, domestic cases, juvenile cases, and cases involving traffic or other ordinance violations.
Federal Justice Statistics
Program
Grantee: The
Urban Institute
FY99 Funding: To
Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJS
Project Description: The Federal Justice Statistics series provides annual data on workload, activities, and case outcomes in the federal criminal justice system. Information is reported on all aspects of processing in the federal justice system, including the number of persons investigated, prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, sentenced to probation, released pretrial, and under parole or other supervision; initial prosecution decisions; referrals to magistrates; court dispositions; sentencing outcomes; sentence length; and time served. In 1997 BJS expanded the Federal Justice Statistics Program to include statistics describing the processing of civil cases of the federal courts, including tort trials and civil rights petitions filed by federal and state inmates. The data are available for online analysis through the BJS Internet site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/.
Juvenile Transfers to Criminal Court
Grantee:
Florida Juvenile Justice Accountability Board
FY99 Funding: To Be
Determined
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: This study is exploring the impact of 1994 changes in Florida law by contrasting transfer policies, practices, and sentencing in 1993 with those in 1995. Post-sentencing recidivism of 400 juveniles transferred to criminal court in 1993 will be examined. Detailed data on the role of the offender in the commission of the offense; involvement with gangs, guns, and drugs; and prior offense histories also will be collected. In addition, recidivism among youth transferred to adult court will be compared with youth handled by the juvenile justice system.
Process and Outcome Evaluation of Prosecutorial Waiver to
Criminal Court in Virginia
Grantee: S. Sridharan and
Lynett Greenfield
FY99 Funding: $194,803
OJP Sponsor: National
Institute of Justice (NIJ) and OJJDP
Project Description: This study is evaluating the relationship between Virginia's statutes allowing juveniles to be transferred to adult court with patterns of juvenile violent crime in recent years. The study will attempt to answer three questions: 1) What community risk factors explain changes in juvenile violent crime rates in Virginia from 1991 through 1996? 2) What factors do prosecutors and judges consider relevant in transferring juveniles to adult court? 3) Do these juveniles receive substantially different sentences than do similarly situated juveniles sentenced in juvenile court?
The Competence-Related Abilities of Juveniles Prosecuted
in Criminal Court
Grantee: Jenine Boyd, University of
South Florida
FY99 Funding: $18,170 (Graduate Research Fellowship)
OJP Sponsor: NIJ
Project Description: Traditionally, mental retardation or mental illness has been the basis for adult defendants' incompetence to proceed to trial. However, juveniles' competence also may be questioned because of the defendant's age and "normal immaturity," even if the defendant is not intellectually deficient and does not have significant psychopathy. This study will examine and compare the competence-related abilities of juveniles prosecuted in criminal court with those of adult defendants, specifically abilities involving understanding, appreciation, and reasoning.
The Use of Risk Assessment
in Achieving Accountability-Based Sanctions
Grantee: Rosemary C. Sarri, University of Michigan
FY99 Funding:
$199,824
OJP Sponsor: NIJ and OJJDP
Project Description: The research is examining how judicial and correctional officials use (and how useful they find) risk assessment/needs classification for establishing accountability-based sanctions for juvenile offenders. Under such sanctions, juveniles are punished with increasing severity for each delinquent or criminal act or violation of probation. The project will also consider the use of risk assessment at the county level, because the most critical decisions take place there. The four project goals are to: 1) assess the policies, practices, and decisions that result in placement of juveniles in juvenile and/or adult residential facilities; 2) identify the correlates of placement/sentencing decisions; 3) identify policies and practices that improve accountability in placement decisions; and 4) identify similarities and differences among states in utilization of risk assessment in placement/sentencing decisions.
Evaluation of Teen Courts
Grantee: The Urban Institute
FY99
Funding: To Be Determined
OJP
Sponsor: OJJDP
Project Description: This project is measuring the effect of handling young, relatively non-serious law violators in teen courts, rather than in traditional juvenile or family courts. Researchers are collecting data on several dimensions of program outcomes, including post-program recidivism, changes in teens' perceptions of justice, and their ability to make more mature judgments. Analyses of these data will be used to compare youth handled in at least three different types of teen courts with youth processed by the traditional juvenile justice system. The study will also evaluate the teen court programs, exploring legal, administrative, and case processing factors that affect the ability of the programs to achieve their goals.
Pretrial
Survey
Grantee: National
Association of Pretrial Services Agencies and Pretrial Services Resource
Center
FY99 Funding: To Be
Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA
Project Description: Working in partnership with BJS and the National Institute of Corrections, BJA will sponsor a national survey focusing on bail decision making. The survey, which will be developed by the National Association of Pretrial Services and the Pretrial Services Resource Center, will examine how pretrial services programs collect and use data when making release decisions, specifically whether supervision is being offered as a local option. The results of the survey will be compared with those of surveys published by the Department of Justice in 1979 and 1989.
For More Information
Several funding sources within OJP can be tapped to link the programmatic and infrastructure elements of innovative adjudication strategies, including the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Formula Grant program, the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants program, and the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant program. See Chapter 1 for a description of these programs.
Initiatives to enhance the prosecution of violence against women cases are described in Chapter 4, Combating Family Violence. Also see Chapter 13 for additional training and technical assistance and Chapter 14 for descriptions of other OJP resources. To access BJS adjudication data, see the BJS Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/.
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