NCJ Number
75337
Date Published
1980
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This is an executive summary of a report on a study of the role and uses of nation-wide comparative criminal justice administrative statistics undertaken by the National Academy of Public Administration.
Abstract
The study was conducted in order to find ways to optimize the production and use of the data in the interest of the most effective administration of the criminal justice system in light of fiscal stringency. Administrative statistics include data on the organization, finances, administration, personnel and other resources of criminal justice agencies. In addition to analysis of past studies and relevant literature, the study obtained information from users at all levels of government and the nonprofit sector by means of in-depth interviews and site visits to six States (California, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Virginia) and the cities of Baltimore, Denver and New York. Interviews were also conducted with officials of LEAA and representatives of the major criminal justice professional associations and public interest groups. It was found that the substantial manpower demands and administrative burdens involved in collecting, verifying analyzing and disseminating data represent a major obstacle to efforts that would increase and upgrade criminal justice administrative statistics. Users felt that the Bureau of Justice Statistics should assume a leadership role, providing the guidance and expertise required to insure the availability of quality data. Serious gaps in the administrative statistics of the courts, prosecutions, defense, corrections, pension and workload data were found and other problems concerned reporting format and obtaining the data periodically and on time. The data should be used for linking trends in one area to developments in the criminal justice system as a whole, and analyses should be tailored to specified groupings at State and local levels. Training programs and technical assistance and information dissemination programs should be designed for analysis as well as program administrators. A list of the criminal justice administrative statistics panel and staff is included. The table of contents for the original report is also included.