NCJ Number
140619
Journal
Research Bulletin Issue: 32 Dated: (1992) Pages: 7-12
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes Britain's Public Interest Case Assessment (PICA); its origins, pilot projects, and plans for their evaluation.
Abstract
The PICA enables probation officers to provide the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) with verified and relevant information about a defendant's personal circumstances, so that an informed decision can be made on the merits of discontinuing the case on public-interest grounds. The first PICA experiment ran for 6 months during 1988 at Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court. The aim of the PICA experiment was to divert targeted defendants from the prosecution process as soon as possible, so that, where possible, reports were provided prior to the first court appearance. Defendants would be exposed to the minimum amount of trauma, and the greatest cost savings could be made. The Inner London Probation Service PICA project began in March 1990, and pilot schemes in Greater Manchester, Northumbria, and the West Midlands have been operating since fall 1991. A system of monitoring has been in place for all of the pilot projects. The monitoring enables probation staff to track cases and receive feedback from the CPS on the reports they have provided. Although a cost-benefit analysis for PICA may prove problematic, the pilot period will provide an opportunity to obtain some indication of any savings.