NCJ Number
157362
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 39 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1993) Pages: 204-224
Date Published
1993
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article describes a study in which a committee of 11 lawyers, including a prosecutor, public defender, and judge assessed the impact of drugs on the local criminal justice system of Rochester, New York.
Abstract
During the 6-month study, data were collected through interviews, public meetings, surveys of presentence investigations and probation officers, and records of arrests, case processing, and drug treatment. Contrary to expectations, this study found that drug-related offenses accounted for only a small proportion of all arrests in Rochester and the rest of the county. Half the arrests were for misdemeanor-level possession charges, 80 percent of the cases were ultimately processed as misdemeanors, and only 20 percent of drug-related prosecutions resulted in incarceration. The police officers interviewed for this study indicated that drug arrests are used to pursue wider goals outside of controlling the distribution or use of drugs; these include crime reduction, fear reduction, and maintenance of public order. As a result, it may not be appropriate to conceptualize drug arrests as having a specific, separate effect on the criminal justice system. 1 figure, 8 tables, 11 notes, and 28 references