NCJ Number
105323
Date Published
1986
Length
347 pages
Annotation
This book guides policymakers and practitioners in criminal and civil justice in decisionmaking based on optimum choice, risk level, allocation, and time optimization.
Abstract
Optimizing analysis as discussed in this book refers to methods for processing a set of goals, alternatives for achieving them, and relations between goals and alternatives relevant to determining the alternative or combination that will maximize benefits minus costs. An introductory chapter provides examples of optimum risk, choice, timing, level and mix analysis to acquaint the reader with the optimizing perspective and its forms. The discussion of optimum choice analysis in the next chapter addresses policy choices in the context of goals, policies, and causal relations where each policy is a discrete lump-sum alternative that does not allow for parts or multiples. Other chapters address decisionmaking under conditions of risk and uncertainty, when doing too much or too little is undesirable, when scarce resources must be allocated, and when processing delay must be reduced. Concluding chapters discuss principles for addressing problems in optimizing analysis and describe the general field of legal policy studies of which this book is a part. The principles discussed are illustrated in examples such as right to counsel, plea bargaining, client selection, pretrial release, jury size, crime prevention, and court delay reduction. Chapter notes, 175-item bibliography, and subject and name indexes.