NCJ Number
97111
Date Published
1983
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This pamphlet provides an overview of the structure of Maryland's criminal justice system, a discussion of the complexities of obtaining systemwide criminal justice statistics, and information on the development of major justice information systems throughout Maryland.
Abstract
The Maryland criminal justice system is a network of agencies, each with its own set of policies and procedures, operating within State, county, and municipal governments. Despite their independence and autonomy, all components depend on the cooperation of other agencies to operate effectively and efficiently. The two types of data bases used in Maryland justice information systems are agency-specific -aggregate data systems providing, when taken together, statewide crime information -- and the statewide Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS). The aggregate data systems provide gross processing figures, whereas CJIS provides data about individuals. The CJIS is only now becoming operational. Each agency maintains statistical records reflecting the agency's unique functions and activities. However, the agencies do not maintain data at comparable levels of specificity. The complexities of the criminal justice system and the unique needs of individual agencies place a number of constraints on the use of aggregate statistics as tools for describing the entire criminal justice process. The CJIS data base contains information dating from January 1978 and includes a component which is emerging as an offender-based tracking system. The data base will eventually provide useful information for planning and research. A flow diagram outlines the criminal justice system in Maryland and indicates the various sources of aggregate and CJIS information.