NCJ Number
68895
Date Published
1980
Length
116 pages
Annotation
THIS THE FINAL REPORT OF AN 18-MONTH PROJECT SPONSORED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE THAT SURVEYED EXISITING ANALYTIC METHODS FOR JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENTS, OR JUSTICE RESOURCE ESTIMATES (JRE), IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A METHODOLOGY FOR PREDICTING RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS UPON THE JUSTICE SYSTEM FOLLOWING THE ADOPTION OF PROPOSED LEGISLATION OR PROCEDURAL RULE CHANGES.
Abstract
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A JUSTICE IMPACT ANALYSIS INVOLVES A SERIES OF APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES RANGING ALONG A CONTINUUM BETWEEN INTUITIVE ANALYSIS TO THE TECHNOLOGICALLY SOPHISTICATED SIMULATION AND FEEDBACK APPROACH. METHODS USED IN THIS STUDY ARE (1) COGNITIVE MAPPING--A THREE-STAGE PROCESS OF USING EXPERT OPINION TO DETERMINE WHICH VARIABLES ARE LIKELY TO CREATE IMPACTS, (2) IMPACT TABLES--TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATRIXES ARRAYING ACTORS AND INSTITUTIONS WITHIN THE FEDERAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AGAINST INDIVIDUAL PROVISIONS OF A LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL, AND (3) SIMULATION AND FEEDBACK METHODS, WHICH FACILITATE THE MEASUREMENT OF IMPACTS IN NUMERICAL TERMS, AND WHICH ARE THE PRIMARY METHODS ILLUSTRATED IN THIS STUDY. DESCRIBED ARE THE FOLLOWING STUDIES CONDUCTED IN OTHER PHASES OF THE PROJECT WHICH WERE DONE TO ILLUSTRATE METHODOLOGIES, RANGING FROM THE USE OF CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE LITERATURE TO THE USE OF SIMULATION AND FEEDBACK TECHNIQUES: (1) SMALL BUSINESS JUDICIAL ACCESS PROPOSAL OF 1979, (2) 1966 REVISION OF RULE 23 OF THE FEDERAL RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, (3) THE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION ACT, AND (4) POSSIBLE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES IN DIVERSITY JURISDICTION. THE FOLLOWING MODELS THAT WERE GENERATED IN THE COURSE OF DEVELOPING THE JUSTICE RESOURCE MODEL FROM THE DIVERSITY JURISDICTION STUDY FOR CONSTRUCTING JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENTS (OR JRE'S) ARE DESCRIBED: (1) MATHNET--A SOFTWARE PACKAGE DEVELOPED BY MATHEMATICA, INC., AND (2) Q-GERT--A SIMULATION MODEL DEVELOPED BY PRITSKER AND ASSOCIATES, INC. THE LOGIC OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESOURCE MODEL IS ILLUSTRATED BY A DIAGRAM AT THE END OF THE REPORT, AND ITS SIMULATION MODEL IS VERBALLY DESCRIBED THROUGH A SIMULATION OF THE DIVERSITY JURISDICTION STUDY. THE FINAL SECTION CONTAINS A HANDBOOK OF IMPACT ANALYSIS, INCLUDING DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN A JRE, MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT TEAM, AND A FLOW CHART OF THE TASKS INVOLVED IN PRODUCING A JRE. FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF JRE'S ARE ALSO PROVIDED. NUMEROUS FLOW CHARTS ILLUSTRATING THE PRODUCTION OF A JRE AND THE COMPONENTS OF VARIOUS MODELS ARE PROVIDED. SEE ALSO NCJ 68896 FOR TECHNICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF METHODOLOGIES.