Interviews with criminal justice and elected officials and analyses of research and successful programs formed the basis of the analysis. Results revealed that the rapid increases in spending on criminal justice have been driven more by increases in prosecution and prison sentencing than by increases in reported crime and arrests. However, police, courts, and correctional personnel cannot reduce crime significantly by themselves. Local, State, and Federal chief executives and legislators have crucial roles in determining the outcomes and effectiveness of the criminal justice system and crime prevention. Nevertheless, current policies seldom link government agencies to address literacy, job training, probation supervision, drug abuse, mental illness, housing, and other services needed to phase offenders back into the community. Several actions are recommended to address these problems. State legislatures and Congress should rectify imbalances among law enforcement, adjudication, and corrections capabilities. Elected officials should support the development and use of decision-support and management information systems, performance indicators and data collection and should support criminal justice coordinating organizations. Additional recommendations, figures, and chapter reference notes