Study of Criminal Justice System Trends Affecting the District of Columbia's Department of Corrections Polulation From 1980 to 1984, With Projections Thru 1990

• NCJ Number: 102470
• Author(s): J F Palmer
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 22 pages
• Corporate Author: District of Columbia Dept of Corrections
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Official police, court, and correctional data for the District of Columbia for 1980-1984 were used in an analysis of current and future trends in each factor and in the correctional population.

Abstract

Actual trends for 1980-1984 formed the basis of linear estimates of trends for 1985-1990. Variables in the analysis included reported index crimes, arrests of adults, cases filed, pretrial releases, case dispositions, minimum and maximum sentences, the detention population, the sentenced incarcerated population, and the parole population. Drug arrests, case filings, guilty dispositions, and the time lag between arrest and final disposition have all increased. Increased parole revocations and sentences to confinement for serious violent cases should also affect the sentenced incarcerated population. More efficient case processing and greater use of confinement are the main factors affecting the incarcerated population. The adult unemployment rate is positively associated with new commitments, drug arrests, and guilty dispositions. Court-mandated limits on populations in some correctional facilities have aggravated the overcrowding in the detention population. Overcrowding is expected to continue as a result of external factors, legal constraints, and administrative decisions. Data tables and detailed analyses of trends in each variable.