NCJ Number
115322
Date Published
Unknown
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Results are summarized from a 1988 California survey of criminal justice notables to determine their views on the current state of the criminal justice and penal system in California.
Abstract
The survey included all district attorneys; chief probation officers; public defenders; sheriffs; police chiefs in cities with a population in excess of 100,000; and the presiding judges of the courts of appeal, superior courts, and municipal courts. There was concern among respondents about the volume of reported crime and the number of cases being processed, and resource issues were identified by an overwhelming majority as the paramount problem. The lack of long-term planning and the inability to develop a long-term strategy were other identified problems. Fragmentation in the administrative political structure, jail and prison overcrowding, and the operational costs of incarceration were also mentioned as specific problems. There was no consensus among the respondents as to how the problems of the system could be resolved. In the long term, more planning and consistent policymaking were desired by respondents.