EXPEDITED DRUG CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS: ISSUES FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• NCJ Number: 145569
• Author(s): J E Jacoby; E C Ratledge; H P Gramckow
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 27 pages
• Grant Number(s): 89-DD-CX-0057
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Jefferson Institute for Justice Studies
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report summarizes the results of an evaluation of three demonstration programs in expedited drug case management (EDCM) established in 1990 and funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Abstract

The programs operated in Philadelphia, New Brunswick, N.J., and Indianapolis, Ind. and were intended to relieve crowded criminal and civil dockets by processing specific cases more rapidly. The programs were based on four principles: (1) early screening and classification of cases, (2) assignment of each case to a track, (3) establishment of applicable time frames, and (4) continuous monitoring of each case. The evaluation focused on the planning and implementation of the programs during their first 12 months. The analysis revealed that the average time from charging to disposition declined from 238 days to 81 days for drug cases in New Brunswick. In Philadelphia, the average time from indictment to disposition for all cases declined from 163 to 120 days, resulting in the freeing up of a maximum of 420 beds per day in the jail. Results suggested several factors that can produce successful programs, as well as factors that can impede success. Findings indicated that EDCM has the potential to revolutionize court case management throughout the United States. Figures and footnotes