NCJ Number
222455
Date Published
September 2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This research bulletin analyzes information provided by criminal justice professionals regarding the current state of the criminal justice system.
Abstract
Responses from hundreds of criminal justice professionals (police chiefs, court clerks, public defenders, State's attorneys, judges, probation officers, juvenile detention center administrators, and victim service providers) identified four major societal problems said to be getting worse: identity theft, drug and alcohol use, drug dealing, and juvenile crime. Based on responses, researchers concluded the following: though workloads among criminal justice practitioners differ, police, prosecutors, and public defenders are handling a large number of domestic violence and juvenile cases; prosecutors and public defenders indicated their high workloads increased plea-bargaining; identity theft, drug/alcohol use, drug dealing, and juvenile crime are getting worse; youth prevention programs, drug treatment, and offender monitoring should be employed to reduce drug use and violence; prosecutors and public defenders agreed on the need for more mental health and drug treatment services to reduce drug use and violence, and on the need for major improvements in DNA and drug processing. Data were collected through the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) needs assessment survey. Figures