NCJ Number
91607
Date Published
1973
Length
46 pages
Annotation
The criminal justice system in Washtenaw County (Michigan) is not really a system and should be changed to establish an overall department of corrections and a basic information system to form the basis of greater efficiency and economy.
Abstract
About half of the persons who are admitted to the county jail have no prior arrest record. A much greater number of them could be released on their own recognizance at the time of arrest or the time of arraignment. Nearly 40 percent of the jail admissions, 24 percent of the time spent in jail, and 16 percent of the occupied beds pertain to persons with alcohol-related offenses. The county has no emergency drug detoxification center and no licensed residential treatment center. The workload of the adult probation department is four times that recommended by nationally recognized standards. As a result, no time exists for a family-centered approach to probation, which should be the goal. The average time from arrest to disposition in the circuit court cases is 76 days, 16 days longer than the goal of 60 days. The time for total processing of cases in the district courts is about 51 days, which is about 4 times longer than they should take. A major complaint of inmates in the county jail is idleness. A detailed description of the county's criminal justice system and its recent functioning and recommendations for goals and objectives to be considered in the planning phase are included. For the report's appendixes, which presents detailed background information, see NCJ-91606.