Federal Judicial Center and the Probation and Pretrial Services System

• NCJ Number: 171610
• Journal: Federal Probation Volume: 61 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1997) Pages: 63-70
• Author(s): E Z Huebner; D R Leathery; R W Zobel
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article recounts the evolution of the Federal Judicial Center, describes some sample innovative programs and initiatives, and offers some comments on what the Center may face in the future.

Abstract

Congress created the Federal Judicial Center 30 years ago at about the time that what is now the Federal probation and pretrial services system began a steady expansion in response to a growing Federal criminal docket of increasingly complex cases. The Center has developed with the probation and pretrial services system, diversifying its educational offerings in response to more diversified needs and a greater availability of educational techniques. Center research has likewise informed the sentencing and supervision functions and the work of probation and pretrial services officers in support of those functions. The Center was created to "further the development and adoption of improved judicial administration" in the U.S. courts. The original statute directed the Center primarily to conduct and promote research on "the operation of the courts of the United States"; develop and conduct orientation and continuing education and training programs for "judges...clerks of court, probation officers" and others; and provide planning and research assistance for the Judicial Conference and its committees. A section of this article on "the early years, 1970s" discusses initial training efforts, research on the sentencing function, and establishing the local training framework. A section on "the transitional years, 1980s" addresses probation-related research, technology-based training, designation of a self-contained training facility, expansion of in-district training, and implementing the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act. A section on "new directions and new partnerships, the 1990s" focuses on sentencing institutes, partnering research and education, seeking and providing consultation and support, and doing more with less. The concluding section, "guideposts for the future," considers dedicated education and research efforts, responsiveness to the needs of the judiciary, expanded range of learning methods, the challenge and potential of distance education, and continued partnership with the probation and pretrial services system. 4 figures and a 4-item bibliography