Coordinating The Criminal Justice System

This guide was developed to assist students, professors, executives of local criminal justice systems, and appointed and elected officials of general government to have a better understanding on how the criminal justice system should function. It may also be of special interest to citizens and public officials who sense that more collaboration and coordination is needed to enhance criminal justice decision making which, in turn, will have a positive impact on local criminal justice systems. Leslie J. Smith advocates that the performance of the criminal justice system should be measured in terms of achieving the goals and objectives of each component collectively. Although the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the U.S. government are constitutionally independent and not required to engage in any coordinated planning activities, these requirements should not lead to poor performance. It is essential to promote positive government through increased collaboration by identifying philosophical principles that will promote the participation of citizens, law enforcement, judiciary, prosecution, corrections, victims, treatment providers, and educators in the development of strategies to prevent, reduce and control crime. There are approximately twenty states throughout the United States that have fostered criminal justice collaborations of this type. The key to accomplishing this objective is effective leadership. This approach is growing in popularity and this book will assist in the further development of this strategy. This guide provides a step-by-step strategy that simplifies the aforementioned issues. It will be especially advantageous for newly appointed criminal coordinators, planners, and others that are charged with creating a hands-on approach to coordinating their local criminal justice processes. Above all, as criminal justice presses forward to the future, the guide will assist in "bridging the gap" between traditional and contemporary approaches to criminal justice plann

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Communities across the U.S. are focused on creating coordinated responses to intimate partner violence (IPV). Illinois took an innovative approach to facilitating the development of coordinated responses statewide. Beginning in 1990, the Admin. Office of the Illinois Courts spearheaded the creation of a network of Family Violence Coordinating Councils (FVCC) across 22 Judicial Circuits. This study examined the effectiveness of this coordinating council structure by investigating the extent to which FVCC have an impact on perceived shifts in stakeholder knowledge and relationships and institutionalized change and more distal systems change outcomes in the systems response to IPV (e.g., accessibility of orders of protection). Illustrations.

The process of controlling criminal investigations is a complex matter, yet it has frequently been minimized or neglected in police management publications. But knowing how to properly plan for an event, make resource agreements with other participants in the investigation, and implement a coordinating system within the agency is critical to proper

This document provides guidelines for establishing a local criminal justice coordinating committee (CJCC). It describes CJCCs and provides specific guidance for their development and operation. The guide will help appointed and elected officials of general government and executives of local justice systems from jurisdictions of all sizes create or strengthen local CJCCs. It should be of particular interest to citizens and public officials who sense that more collaborative, better coordinated decisionmaking processes can improve the local criminal justice system significantly.

Introduction to the Criminal Justice System: A Practical Perspective examines the basic organization, structure, and function of the criminal justice system, while also illuminating contemporary issues and barriers that can delay, prevent, or impact the system's function of achieving justice. Through stories from the field and discussions of everyday challenges, students are introduced to the criminal justice system through a uniquely practical lens. The text is organized into five parts. In Part I, students learn foundational information about the American criminal justice system, crime and its impact, and criminal law and criminal justice. Part II explores the history of law enforcement, its organization and structure, and police and the law. In Part III, students read about the structure and organization of criminal courts, the pretrial and trial process, and sentencing, including the death penalty. Part IV speaks to community corrections and institutional corrections. Part V provides insights on juvenile justice and delinquency. In the final part, students consider the future of the criminal justice discipline and system. Introduction to the Criminal Justice System is ideal for foundational courses in criminal justice, sociology, and social work. Francis Williams has served as a practitioner, researcher, scholar, public speaker, and educator on issues of prevention programs, security, law enforcement, police and community relations, race and crime, and crime policy for over 38 years. He holds a Ph.D. from Northeastern University, a M.Ed. from Cambridge College, and is the program coordinator and a professor of criminal justice at Plymouth State University. Laura Dykstra is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Plymouth State University. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests include drug-related crime, mental health, research methodology, and violent crime and victimization, especially among young adults.