NATIONAL EVALUATION OF THE PILOT CITIES PROGRAM - A TEAM APPROACH TO IMPROVING LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS

• NCJ Number: 31535
• Author(s): C A MURRAY; R E KRUG
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 275 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-016-74
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: American Institutes for Research
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE CENTRAL PILOT CITIES CONCEPT IS THAT A SMALL INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM (POLICE, COURTS, CORRECTIONS, AND SYSTEMS ANALYSIS) CAN BE INTRODUCED INTO A LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND PRODUCE POSITIVE CHANGES.

Abstract

THE PILOT CITIES PROGRAM WAS INITIATED IN 1970 BY NILECJ TO CREATE A GROUP OF DEMONSTRATION CITIES WHERE NEW IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGIES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT COULD BE TESTED AND EVALUATED. THE CITIES INVOLVED WERE SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA; DAYTON, OHIO; CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA; ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO; NORFOLK, VIRGINIA; OMAHA, NEBRASKA; DES MOINES, IOWA; AND ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. THIS TWENTY MONTH EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM (DECEMBER 1973 TO MAY 1975) ATTEMPTED TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF EACH CITY'S PROGRAM, TO MEASURE THE EFFECTS OF THE OVERALL PROGRAM, AND TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESSES BY WHICH CHANGE IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TAKES PLACE. THE APPROACH OF THIS REPORT IS AS FOLLOWS. A SET OF SEVEN VARIABLES ARE INTRODUCED WITH COMMENTS ABOUT THE RELEVANCE OF EACH TO THE EVALUATION. THE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION AND OTHER DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS FOR THE POPULATION AS A WHOLE ARE REPORTED AND THE RESULTS INTERPRETED INCORPORATING QUALITATIVE BACKGROUND. TEAM-BY-TEAM DIFFERENCES ARE THEN PRESENTED AS APPROPRIATE. A TOTAL OF 41 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PRESENTED, INCLUDING GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING LEAA PROGRAMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON POLICY ISSUES FUNDAMENTAL TO THE OPERATION OF LEAA. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GROUPED UNDER THREE HEADINGS: THE CONCEPTS OF 'INNOVATION' AND 'IMPROVEMENT' AS THEY APPLY TO CHANGES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE; LESSONS OF THE PROGRAM FOR ADVANCING THE STATE OF THE LE/CJ ART; AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXPLOITING THE TEAM APPROACH TO IMPROVING LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS. THE EVALUATORS CONCLUDE THAT THE CENTRAL CONCEPT OF THE PILOT CITIES PROGRAM IS A SOUND AND EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO IMPROVING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS AND SHOULD BE APPLIED FURTHER. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS A COPY OF THE LEAA GUIDELINE FOR THE PILOT CITIES PROGRAM, ABSTRACTS OF THE 98 PILOT DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS, AND A DISCUSSION OF THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS AND PROCEDURES USED IN THE EVALUATION STUDY. (SNI ABSTRACT)