NCJ Number
58857
Date Published
1978
Length
51 pages
Annotation
THIS DOCUMENT PRESENTS AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPUTER-AUTOMATED SIMULATION OF THE UTAH CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM (UCJS), A RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTIVE TOOL FOR THE PROFESSIONAL WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
Abstract
THE SIMULATION PROCEEDS IN THE FORMS OF THREE PLANNING PERIODS: 1 YEAR, 5 YEARS, AND 10 YEARS, WHICH ALLOW FOR THE VIEWING OF SHORT-RANGE AND LONG-RANGE EFFECTS SIMILAR TO THOSE ACTUALLY OCCURRING. NO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF COMPUTER OR COMPUTER LANGUAGE IS REQUIRED IN THE UCJS COMPUTER-AUTOMATED SOCIAL SIMULATION (CASS). UCJS IS DESIGNED TO HELP THE PARTICIPANT BECOME AWARE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAMS AND INSTITUTIONAL, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL EFFECTS AND TO GAIN AN INSIGHT INTO THE MECHANICS OF ESTIMATING PRIORITIES, ESTABLISHING EFFECTS, AND INTERPRETING COST-BENEFIT ANALYSES. THE PROFESSIONAL CAN COME TO APPRECIATE THE NEED FOR ANALYZING AND ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL AND/OR ADJUST TO EVENTS OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTIONAL DIMENSION OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. UCJS ALSO CONSIDERS THE INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN (1) TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS, (2) DECISION OPTIONS, (3) CATEGORIES OF EFFECTS, (4) DIMENSIONS OF ANALYSIS, (5) PRIORITIES, AND (6) COSTS. UCJS INCORPORATES A WIDE RANGE OF PRINCIPLES, FROM GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORY TO COST-BENEFIT ACCOUNTING. IT ALSO ALLOWS FOR THE HUMAN ELEMENT OF PLANNING AND DECISIONMAKING TO BE VIEWED AND CONSIDERED, SINCE MANY OF THE DIMENSIONS TO WHICH PROGRAMS ARE DIRECTED ARE THEIR ELEMENTS. TABULAR DATA ARE GIVEN. PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS, DIMENSIONS AND CATEGORIES DESCRIPTIONS, AND DESCRIPTIONS OF BOTH LOCAL AND NATIONAL ECONOMIC TRENDS ARE APPENDED.