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NATIONAL MANPOWER SURVEY OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, V 1 - SUMMARY REPORT, AUGUST 1978

NCJ Number
43739
Editor(s)
E NADEN
Date Published
1978
Length
167 pages
Annotation
THIS SUMMARY VOLUME, THE FIRST OF EIGHT RESULTING FROM A NATIONAL MANPOWER SURVEY, ASSESSES PRESENT AND FUTURE MANPOWER NEEDS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVED TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT.
Abstract
FINDINGS ARE BASED ON COMPREHENSIVE SURVEYS OF MORE THAN 8,000 STATE AND LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTSCE EXECUTIVES, ANALYSIS OF A 1975 CENSUS SURVEY OF 50,000 EMPLOYEES OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES, AND 250 FIELD VISITS. NEARLY 1 MILLION PERSONS WERE EMPLOYED IN STATE AND LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES IN 1974, THE BASE YEAR OF THE ASSESSMENT. A BREAKDOWN OF THIS FIGURE SHOWED THAT MORE THAN 580,000 WERE EMPLOYED BY POLICE PROTECTION AGENCIES (80 PERCENT SWORN OFFICERS); MORE THAN 190,000 WERE EMPLOYED BY COURTS, PROSECUTION AND LEGAL SERVICES, AND INDIGENT DEFENSE AGENCIES; AND NEARLY 220,000 WERE INVOLVED IN CORRECTIONS. THE LARGEST PERSONNEL SHORTAGES WERE REPORTED BY PROBATION AND PAROLE ADMINISTRATORS AND BY SHERIFFS; JUVENILE CORRECTION AGENCIES REPORTED THE SMALLEST SHORTAGES. SMALLER DEPARTMENTS REPORTED GREATER RELATIVE SHORTAGES THAN LARGER DEPARTMENTS. THE COMPOSITE SURVEY FOUND A NEED FOR SELECTIVE INCREASES OF PERSONNEL IN MOST CRIMINAL JUSTICE CATEGORIES, BUT ALSO FOUND THAT SUCH INCREASES DO NOT REDUCE CRIME OR IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF JUSTICE UNLESS COMBINED WITH IMPROVED PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE FOR IMPROVING DEPLOYMENT OF EXISTING PERSONNEL AND INCREASING PERSONNEL EFFECTIVENESS. OVERALL, EMPLOYMENT IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES IS EXPECTED TO GROW MORE SLOWLY BETWEEN 1975 AND 1985 THAN IN THE EARLY 1970'S, THE COMBINED RESULT OF A PROJECTED SLOWDOWN IN CRIME RATES AS WELL AS TIGHTER STATE AND LOCAL BUDGETS. THESE TRENDS ARE ANALYZED IN DETAIL IN THIS AND THE OTHER VOLUMES IN THE SERIES. FOR RELATED VOLUMES IN THIS SERIES, SEE NCJ 43760, VOL. 2 'LAW ENFORCEMENT'; NCJ 43740, VOL. 3 'CORRECTIONS'; NCJ 43741, VOL. 4 'COURTS'; NCJ 43742, VOL. 5, TWO PARTS 'CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION AND TRAINING'; AND NCJ 43743, VOL. 6 'CRIMINAL JUSTICE MANPOWER PLANNING.'