NCJ Number
58267
Date Published
1979
Length
137 pages
Annotation
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FIVE TYPES OF DEFERRED PROSECUTION PROGRAMS IS PRESENTED, FOCUSING ON OPERATIONAL AND PROCEDURAL PROGRAM DIFFERENCES AND VARIATIONS IN PROGRAM OUTCOMES.
Abstract
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION WERE (1) TO FACILITATE CROSS-PROGRAM COMPARISONS BY PROVIDING A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EACH PROJECT IN THE STUDY; (2) TO COMPARE THE REFERRAL AND ACCEPTANCE PROCESSES OF THE PROGRAMS; (3) TO ANALYZE AND COMPARE THE DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT/SUPERVISION SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE PROGRAMS; (4) TO EXAMINE SELECTED PROGRAM OUTCOMES, FOCUSING ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TERMINATED CLIENTS; AND (5) TO DETERMINE THE FREQUENCY, EXTENT, AND SERIOUSNESS OF RECIDIVISM OF THOSE CLIENTS ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAMS. THE MAJOR DATA SOURCES WERE DOCUMENTATION OF PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES, INDIVIDUAL CLIENT/CASE DATA, AND CLIENT RECIDIVISM DATA. THE DEFERRED PROSECUTION PROGRAMS COMPARED WERE IN THE MICHIGAN COUNTIES OF WAYNE, INGHAM, JACKSON, CALHOUN, AND BERRIEN. STUDY RESULTS SHOW THAT (1) DEFERRED PROSECUTION PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN DEALING, AS INTENDED, WITH A NONPATTERNED, NONVIOLENT OFFENDER POPULATION; (2) PROJECTS HAVE BEEN USING SUCCESSFUL SCREENING PROCEDURES IN THEIR INTAKE SELECTION PROCESS; (3) DEFERRED PROSECUTION IS A VIABLE DISPOSITIONAL ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESSING; (4) CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE IS LACKING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE OBSERVED PROJECT RESULTS ARE A FUNCTION OF THE TYPES OF CLIENTS ACCEPTED INTO DEFERRED PROSECUTION PROGRAMS; AND (5) THE CONCEPT OF DEFERRED PROSECUTION IS TRANSFERABLE TO A WIDE VARIETY OF COMMUNITIES. DEFERRED PROSECUTION SHOULD BE VIEWED AS PART OF A TOTAL PROSECUTOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ESTABLISHED TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF JUSTICE BY IMPROVING THE IDENTIFICATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENDERS AS A BASIS FOR PROGRAM DESIGN. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA ARE PROVIDED, ALONG WITH A GLOSSARY, FOOTNOTES, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY. (RCB)