NCJ Number
155372
Date Published
1993
Length
11 pages
Annotation
North Carolina should take eight actions to address the immediate problem of violent crime within the limited resources available.
Abstract
The four principles that should guide these efforts are that all citizens must be safe, that we must be tough and smart, that each citizen must take personal responsibility, and that the criminal justice system must be truthful. Actions should include making wise investments in prisons and jails to place long-term violent criminals in prisons and short-term offenders in jails and to restructure the court system so that prosecutors and judges can focus on violent criminals. In addition, as many drug addicts as possible should be referred to drug courts for treatment, more nonviolent offenders should complete probation and stay out of prison by being stripped of all licenses and citizen privileges if they fail to comply, and added law enforcement should be provided to high-crime areas. Further measures should include reasonable restrictions plus mandatory sentences for those who use a gun in the commission of a crime, enforcement of existing timetables and streamlining of Federal court review of capital cases so that North Carolina will have real capital punishment, and assistance to victims of violence. Tables