Skip to main content skip navigation
  • Account
    • Login
    • Manage
  • Subscribe
    • JUSTINFO
    • Register
  • Shopping Cart
  • Contact Us
    • Email
    • Feedback
    • Chat
    • Phone or Mail
  • Site Help
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Office of Justice Programs header with links to bureaus/offices: BJA, BJS, NIJ, OJJDP, OVC, SMART Office of Justice Programs BJA BJS NIJ OJJDP OVC SMART Office of Justice Programs
Advanced Search  Search Help
    Browse By Topics  down arrow
  • A–Z Topics
  • Corrections
  • Courts
  • Crime
  • Crime Prevention
  • Drugs
  • Justice System
  • Juvenile Justice
  • Law Enforcement
  • Victims
CrimeSolutions
Add your conference to our Justice Events calendar
  • ABOUT NCJRS
  • OJP PUBLICATIONS
  • LIBRARY
  • SEARCH Q & A
  • GRANTS & FUNDING
  • JUSTICE EVENTS
Home / Publications / NCJRS Abstract

PUBLICATIONS

Register for Latest Research

Stay Informed
Register with NCJRS to receive NCJRS's biweekly e-newsletter JUSTINFO and additional periodic emails from NCJRS and the NCJRS federal sponsors that highlight the latest research published or sponsored by the Office of Justice Programs.

NCJRS Abstract

The document referenced below is part of the NCJRS Virtual Library collection. To conduct further searches of the collection, visit the Virtual Library. See the Obtain Documents page for direction on how to access resources online, via mail, through interlibrary loans, or in a local library.

1 record(s) found

 

NCJ Number: 108122 Find in a Library
Title: Tools for Structuring Court Discretion: What Do They Work For and Why Don't They Work Better?
Journal: Criminal Justice Policy Review  Volume:1  Issue:3  Dated:(October 1986)  Pages:268-285
Author(s): S D Gottfredson; D M Gottfredson
Date Published: 1986
Annotation: This article reviews studies of the effectiveness of bail and sentencing guidelines for judicial decisionmaking.
Abstract: The study of the Philadelphia bail project and a number of sentencing guideline studies are reviewed. The review indicates that decisionmakers tend to rely on a few common items of information regardless of the decision being made. Descriptive (based on past decisions) and normative (based on selected criteria) studies apparently recommend different items of information as predictive of offender behavioral outcomes. The evidence indicates that criminal justice decisionmakers do not make optimal decisions in predicting offender behaviors. Still, a number of factors have some predictive validity across a variety of settings, and decisionmakers do not focus on these factors. Despite substantial base rate problems, most guidelines have yielded prediction that exceeds the chance rate. The evaluations of guidelines effectiveness often ignore the dependence of guidelines effectiveness on proper development and implementation. Fundamental conflicts between normative and descriptive models, however, may constrain effectiveness in many applications of guidelines. 5 notes and 42-item bibliography. (Author abstract modified)
Main Term(s): Judicial discretion
Index Term(s): Bail/Financial Release; Sentencing guidelines
Page Count: 18
Format: Article
Language: English
Country: United States of America
To cite this abstract, use the following link:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=108122

*A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents not available online, a link to the publisher's website is provided. Tell us how you use the NCJRS Library and Abstracts Database - send us your feedback.




Find in a Library

You have clicked Find in a Library. A title search of WorldCat, the world's largest library network, will start when you click "Continue." Here you will be able to learn if libraries in your community have the document you need. The results will open in a new browser and your NCJRS session will remain active for 30 minutes. Learn More.

You have selected:

This article appears in

In WorldCat, verify that the library you select has the specific journal volume and issue in which the article appears. Learn How.

Continue to WorldCat

You are about to access WorldCat, NCJRS takes no responsibility for and exercises no control over the WorldCat site.

 
Office of Justice Programs Facebook Page  Twitter Page
  • Bureau of Justice Assistance Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics Twitter Page
  • National Institute of Justice Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office for Victims of Crime Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking Facebook Page Twitter Page
Contact Us | Feedback | Site Map
Freedom of Information Act | Privacy Statement | Legal Policies and Disclaimers
USA.gov | CrimeSolutions
Department of Justice | Office of Justice Programs