NCJ Number
166567
Date Published
1996
Length
86 pages
Annotation
This report identifies problems in South Carolina's criminal justice system and proposes recommendations for reform in accordance with the principles of restorative justice, which are in turn based in biblical standards of justice.
Abstract
The study, which was conducted by a task force of criminal justice professionals and laypersons interested in criminal justice, identified four primary problems in South Carolina's criminal justice system. One problem is the slowness of the judicial process, which harms the victim, the community, the government, and the offender. A second problem is the need for a major overhaul of the State's restitution system; and a third problem is that the community perceives that offenders are not held responsible for their crimes and that sentences should match the nature of the crime. The fourth primary problem is the lack of community involvement with the criminal justice system. Other problems identified by the task force pertain to juvenile crime, violence within the family, lack of interaction between criminal justice agencies and the community, and the lack of rehabilitation strategy for offenders. Seventy-four recommendations are outlined for addressing the identified problems. They are grouped under the general categories of government restoration, which encompasses the restoration of the judicial process and the restoration of the State correctional system; victim restoration; offender restoration, which addresses community-based restoration programs and institutional-based restoration programs; and community restoration. The concluding chapter of the report discusses impact and cost projections for the proposed reform. Appended summary of cost projections, levels of supervision, summary of funds and fees, and a glossary of terms