NCJ Number
169216
Date Published
1996
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This study examines why the "three-strikes" law has produced significant increases in Los Angeles County justice agency workloads since its enactment in March 1994, while other California counties are apparently absorbing the work without major difficulty.
Abstract
The purposes of the study were to determine whether the approach in Los Angeles County is substantially different from the approaches of other counties; if so, to characterize, describe, and otherwise provide an understanding of these differences; and to identify potentially cost-saving alternative approaches that Los Angeles County may wish to consider. The study found that the size of the adult felony caseload that entered the Los Angeles County justice system, expressed on a per capita basis, was about the same as the average rate for the seven comparison counties of over 1 million population. The number of full-time justice personnel and the county expenditures per capita show that Los Angeles County has about the same level of justice system resources as the composite county average. Yet, as felony defendants are processed in the Los Angeles County justice system there is a steady elevation in the per capita rates compared to the composite county average. Thus, the major source of the justice system workload increase is not that a larger number of cases are entering the system per capita than in other counties. The cases are being disposed of later in the process. This takes more work, more time, and more money. Despite this outcome, the per capita rates of felony matters disposed of in municipal courts and defendants convicted of felonies in superior court are practically the same as the composite county average; however, elevated per capita prison commitment rates and lesser use of probation indicate more severe sentences. These patterns characterize "three-strikes" as well as other cases. This suggests that any progress in getting the other cases settled earlier would free up resources for the more serious "three-strikes" cases. The over-arching remedy to the felony workload crisis is to work toward settling felony matters earlier, perhaps viewing the composite county averages as benchmarks. 7 tables