The Commission's work was impeded by the elimination of its entire fiscal year 1993 budget. The Commission nevertheless continued its programs of monitoring, assessing, and reporting on the criminal justice system. Progress on projects on which substantial investments have already been made was halted, and the completion of that work is endangered by a lack of funds. The Commission concluded that the New Jersey criminal justice system continues to be plagued by increases in the numbers of offenders at each stage of the criminal justice process; jail and prison populations continue to increase; the proportions of convicted offenders who are incarcerated continue to increase, and probation and parole populations continue to grow. Arrest and complaint volumes, however, are decreasing and will result in reduced growth or even modest reductions in inmate populations. Despite encouraging trends, recommendations must continue to address the problems due to growth in the last several years. Mandatory sentencing provisions of the criminal code should be evaluated by an Advisory Committee formed for this purpose. Probation and parole supervision programs should be strengthened. A variety of punishment options that can reduce costs without decreasing public safety should be used more fully. 6 figures