NCJ Number
143532
Journal
Home Office Rsearch and Statistics Department Research Bulletin Issue: 33 Dated: (1993) Pages: 45-48
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The British Home Office developed a map of the criminal justice system to diagram the relationships between components of the system, to help participants understand their role in the overall delivery of criminal justice, and to begin to achieve consensus about the nature of the system.
Abstract
The map could also be used for other benefits: identifying key indicators of cost effectiveness and efficiency, developing a second rank of supporting performance indicators, designing policy evaluation projects, and predicting the impact of proposed changes in the criminal justice system. The diagram breaks the system down into three simpler subdiagrams: basic flows which illustrate system dynamics; court system, remand facilities, and offending on bail; and sentencing, after-care, and recidivism. The systems dynamics approach is less concerned with achieving accurate representation of the criminal justice system in numerical terms than in broadly understanding the operation of the system. This approach also uses sensitivity analysis to identify those issues that require further research. By examining the interaction of the criminal justice system with outside factors, this model has the potential to evaluate the system's effectiveness as well as its internal efficiency. 2 references