NCJ Number
38119
Date Published
1976
Length
36 pages
Annotation
A COMPREHENSIVE DATA SYSTEM COST AND BENEFIT STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN EARLY IN 1974 BY THE INSTITUTE FOR LAW AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, WASHINGTON, D.C., FOR LEAA, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
Abstract
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO PROJECT THE COST AND BENEFITS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE DATA SYSTEM (CDS), A FUNDING PROGRAM INTENDED TO PROVIDE, WITHOUT UNNECESSARY DUPLICATION, BOTH A NATIONAL COMPUTERIZED CRIMINAL HISTORY (CCH) EXCHANGE CAPABILITY AND NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICS. EMPHASIS IN THE STUDY WAS GIVEN TO ASSESSING THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF THE CCH COMPONENT OF CDS. THIS ARTICLE SUMMARIZES A PORTION OF THAT STUDY DEALING WITH THE COST MODEL USED TO ESTIMATE ANNUAL CCH OPERATING COST FOR EACH YEAR, 1975 THROUGH 1984. THE PROBLEM ADDRESSED IS THE MODELING OF THE IDENTIFICATION, ARREST, AND DISPOSITION UPDATE, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM INQUIRY PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH CCH. THE APPROACH TAKEN IS TO DEFINE A SIMPLIFIED PICTURE OF CCH IN TERMS OF THE PROCESSING TASKS PERFORMED FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARRESTEES. ESTIMATES OF THE UNIT TASK COSTS AND THE ARRESTEE TYPE VOLUMES ARE THEN USED TO ESTIMATE VARIABLE CCH COSTS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)