RECOGNIZING THE LIMITATIONS OF TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE STATISTICS, THE OFFENDER-BASED TRANSACTION STATISTICAL APPROACH WAS DEVELOPED UNDER SPONSORSHIP OF PROJECT SEARCH. THE OBTS CONCEPT FOCUSES ON THE INDIVIDUAL AND TRACKS HIS PROGRESS THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM FROM ENTRY TO EXIT. THE CONCEPT RETAINS THE ADVANTAGES OF THE OLDER APPROACHES WHILE ALSO PROVIDING INFORMATION ON HOW THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM OPERATES TO PROCESS DEFENDANTS AND HOW AGENCIES AND FUNCTIONS INTERRELATE, HOW LONG THE SYSTEM TAKES TO PROCESS INDIVIDUALS, AND WHO THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE. THUS, AN OBTS SYSTEM IS CAPABLE OF RAISING A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT PLANNING AND MANAGERIAL QUESTIONS ABOUT SYSTEM OPERATIONS, EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY, AND TRENDS. IMPLEMENTATION OF AN OBTS SYSTEM WAS UNIQUE IN THAT IT INCORPORATED DATA ROUTINELY COLLECTED AT THE STATE LEVEL WITH DATA COLLECTED FROM AGENCIES WITHIN THE FIVE COUNTY REGION. LEVELS OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESSING IDENTIFIED FOR THE SYSTEM WERE LABELED POLICE/ PROSECUTOR, LOWER COURT, AND SUPERIOR COURT. THE SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED TO TRACK THE DEFENDANT FROM ARREST TO DISPOSITION. DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSACTION STATISTICS, A 20 PERCENT RANDOM SAMPLING OF FELONY AND MISDEMEANOR DEFENDANTS WAS TRACKED THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS OF FRESON, KERN, KINGS, MADERA, AND TULARE COUNTIES AND LATER AGGREGATED TO PROVIDE A REGIONAL PICTURE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION. DATA COLLECTION WAS PREFORMED BY THE PLANNING STAFF OF THE REGION. AN EXAMPLE OF AN OFFENDER-BASED DISPLAY IS PROVIDED. THE STRUCTURE OF AN OBTS DATA BASE LENDS ITSELF TO AN ALMOST INFINITE VARIETY OF PROCESSING STRATEGIES AND ANALYSES, AND CAN PROVIDE INVALUABLE INFORMATION TO PLANNERS AND MANAGERS IN DETERMINING NEEDS, TARGETING IMPROVED STRATEGIES, ALLOCATING AVAILABLE RESOURCES, AND MONITORING AND EVALUATING PROGRAMS, PROCESSES, AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE DIVERSIY OF DATA, THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SYSTEM, AND THE CAPABILITY OF PR0VIDING BASELINE DATA, MAKE AN OBTS SYSTEM AN EXCELLENT TOOL FOR RESEARCH. (JAP)