Problem-Solving Courts: Models and Trends

Federal Sentencing Reporter, 2011

This article is excerpted from Rachel Porter, Sophia Lee, and Mary Lutz's 100-page report of the same name originally published by the Vera Institute of Justice in 2002. The report assesses the operation of the alternatives to incarceration (ATI) program for dealing with defendants accused of felonies. This research has shown that the ATI system represents a valuable sentencing option in the city. The criminal justice system in New York City includes a unique network of alternatives to incarceration: a coordinated set of programs to which judges may send criminal offenders instead of sentencing them to jail. The programs balance punishment and treatment for felony offenders without compromising public safety, and they have the potential to reduce reoffending.

Criminal Justice Policy Review, 2023

This study examines sentencing outcomes of Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) focused on reducing incarceration by encouraging downward departures to community-based sanctions in presumptive prison cases. The sample includes 3,930 defendants enrolled in the JRI program. Pre-adjudication assessment reports and a judicial settlement conference were used to help the court decide if a case warranted a departure offer. A quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching balanced JRI program defendants to 1,153 historic defendants that would have been eligible in the previous year. Logistic regressions assessed the impact of both program participation and race/ethnicity, controlling for other factors on prison versus probation sentence outcomes and sentence length in prison outcomes. On average, across all racial groups, program participants are 52% less likely to go to prison. The impact of participation on sentencing outcomes was also equitable across the race/ ethnicity of defendants. However, the program did not affect sentence length of prison outcomes.

International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2013

The drug court model, which integrates drug treatment with community supervision and uses the authority of the court to facilitate compliance and behavioral change, provides an innovative alternative to processing as usual. While drug courts have enjoyed considerable empirical support, research suggests that they could increase their effectiveness through further refining their target population. In particular, it is hypothesized that drug courts are particularly well suited to treat drug offenders who have a high risk for recidivism. The purpose of the current study is to compare recidivism rates of high-risk drug court participants and high-risk probationers. Using new charges as a measure of recidivism, the results indicate drug court participants had significantly better outcomes than probationers. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

S. Cal. L. Rev., 1992

Putting criminal offenders to work is not, of course, a new idea. It has a long history predating the founding of the United States. And the rise of the convict lease system and chain gangs in the post-Civil War South ushered in an especially inglorious history of American penal ...

Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2012

2018

Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

In every epoch, there has been a compelling need to establish a harmonious and well-organized natural cohesion. The rapid growth of crime is a global problem, affecting both emerging and developed nations. Several initiatives have addressed the challenges of community rehabilitation, but achieving the intended results has proven to be challenging. Society still has problems, unfortunately. A thorough examination of the criminal justice system's role in social rehabilitation reveals several problematic areas for the rule of law to be effectively disseminated. Digital technology has been heavily involved, but state officials still need to win the battle and maintain order. This research aims to provide a descriptive review of the criminal justice system's role in achieving sustainable development goals by addressing how far a robust criminal justice system can overcome and control the issue of establishing a well-balanced society. While previous research has focused on determi...

2015

2014