NCJ Number
76025
Date Published
1981
Length
41 pages
Annotation
The report of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA), technical assistance team's visit to the offices of the State's attorney for Howard County, Md. is presented.
Abstract
In December 1980, the team examined the State's attorney's management and operations functions in accordance with a contract with LEAA. The purpose of the visit was to analyze problems related to the transition of the office from a part-time office to a full-time office, the intake of criminal cases, the utilization of the word processing system, and the use of statistics. Management aspects such as the training of assistant prosecutors, the organizational structure of the office, and reducing the backlog of cases were also addressed. During the visit, interviews were conducted with those members of the office who are most directly involved in the problem areas. The basic approach was to examine the office with reference to functional responsibilities. Once the problem and its dimensions were specified, and analysis was made which resulted in identification of the major elements of the problem and an exposition of needed change. The State's attorney oversees a staff of 26 employees, of which 17 are attorneys. The office has jurisdiction over all criminal cases, including juveniles, moving violations involving possible jail time, and civil matters. The felony trial court currently operates with a backlog, but it seldom presents problems to the office. There were 963 felonies referred to the office last year, with the 3 most prevalent being larceny, drug crimes, and assault crimes. The team recommends securing additional personnel in the area of administrative and clerical support, hiring a full-time office manager, and producing guidelines so that every individual in the office understands his or her position. The team also suggests providing more training for the inexperienced trial assistants, reevaluating policies regarding plea bargaining, and considering the development of an expanded word processing system. Two appendixes containing the evaluators' qualifications and various forms are included.