NCJ Number
83613
Date Published
1982
Length
92 pages
Annotation
This summary of significant Federal criminal justice research activities describes studies in the areas of crime causes, crime and the community, policing changes, the judicial process, correctional issues, and juvenile justice.
Abstract
The report begins with an overview of the Federal role in research, delineating criminological research activities of the Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Transportation, Treasury, and independent agencies. Studies have concerned the career criminal; the relationship of race and crime; economic influences on crime; drug and alcohol crimes; and crimes of special concern such as arson, racketeering, and employee theft. Studies have also examined theories of crime control and crimes of violence regarding the criminal use of weapons, incidence of robberies, and intrafamily violence. Crime in the community has been studied to illuminate the crime-environment link, especially in declining neighborhoods, to ascertain the extent of victimization, and to identify crime prevention strategies. The search for policing innovations has dealt with police responses to citizen demands, the efficacy of patrol variations, advanced forensic capabilities, use of deadly force circumstances, and police administration and operations. Judicial process issues explored include pretrial release, prosecutorial decisionmaking, the trial process, sentencing discretion, and alternatives to the courtroom. Prison population changes, the elusiveness of rehabilitation, corrections administration, and offender reintegration have been studied, as has the nature and extent of delinquency. Crime reports, victimization surveys, and a host of automated statistical systems have been developed to aid the researcher. The concluding chapter illustrates ways in which research is applied to daily criminal justice system practices. Appended are listings of Federal agencies contributing to the report and Federal justice agency publications.