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Improving Your Jurisdiction's Felony Caseflow Process

NCJ Number
203589
Date Published
April 2000
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This document offers a primer designed to assist practitioners and policymakers in analyzing their felony caseflow processes.
Abstract
The first section offers a description of the felony caseflow process and the individuals and agencies involved in managing cases through the criminal justice system. Assessing the caseflow process in any given jurisdiction is crucial because an effective felony caseflow process enables the expeditious resolution of all cases, pursuant to every individual’s rights under the United States Constitution. Furthermore, a thorough assessment is necessary because of all the various agencies involved in the caseflow process, such as the police, the prosecutor’s office, and the trial court. The second section provides a framework for analysis, which focuses on the key elements shown to be important for effective felony caseflow management. Some of these key elements include leadership, meaningful goals, and accurate and timely information. The second section also outlines special problems that should be assessed, such as jail crowding, structural fragmentation, and disjointed technology between agencies. The third section describes threshold issues that criminal justice system stakeholders need to resolve prior to the assessment process. These issues involve the scope of the assessment, who will comprise the assessment team, the data collection process, and confidentiality protocols. The fourth section outlines how the felony caseflow assessment should actually be carried out. Logistics such as data collection and analysis are discussed. Tips are offered for interviewing practitioners and conducting on-site observations of justice system operations. Finally, the fifth section focuses on presenting the findings from the assessment and drawing up an action plan to improve the caseflow process. Appendices offer illustrative lists of persons who should be interviewed and examples of interview schedules.