NCJ Number
72305
Date Published
1978
Length
133 pages
Annotation
Alaska's pilot program for increasing citizen knowledge and awareness of the State's justice system is evaluated.
Abstract
The Citizen Action Project was funded by LEAA for a one-year period starting in early 1977. Three goals were identified: the evaluation of the performance of judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and private counsel; the investigation of any reports of wrongdoing in the justice system; and the education of the public in the operation of the system as well as the education of the members of legal community in the views of citizens. Citizen volunteers were encouraged to join in groups which would study the courts, the correctional facilities, juvenile justice, jury selection, and plea bargaining. An advisory board facilitated the groups' entrance into the justice machinery. The 50 participants prepared reports on their experiences. The court observer group found, among other things, that trials seldom started on time, public prosecutors were often unprepared, but that the courts appeared to be administering justice fairly. The corrections group found that general problems included overcrowded conditions, prisoner inactivity, and a shortage of programs for education, physical activity, and job training. The juvenile justice group discovered a lack of agreement and understanding among the various agencies working with children, a need for more recreational facilities, and an undesirable mixing of first-time delinquents with repeaters in some facilties. The jury selection group found that jurors were generally satisfied with their courtroom experiences. Members of the plea-bargaining group did not submit a report. Reforms recommended by each group are reviewed. An appendix contains the court observer group's evaluations of each judge visited.