From the inception of the updating project, more than 50 national organizations and groups interested in criminal justice improvement sent representatives to meetings of the task forces and the standing committee in charge of revising the standards. Other groups, such as specialized ABA sections and divisions, created special committees of their own to examine the standing committee's recommendations. Intended to represent a just balance between the goals of effective administration of criminal justice and proper regard for the constitutional rights of the accused and society, the standards are guidelines and recommendations. They help criminal justice planners design a system, set goals and priorities, and draw up future procedures. The first edition formulated standards to span the spectrum of criminal justice needs as then perceived. The second edition treats many areas that emerged in the intervening years by amendments to applicable chapters. However, in areas where developments of greater magnitude have occurred--such as the legal status of prisoners, the charging process, and mental health problems relating to criminal law--the second edition reserves chapters for expansion which are to be drafted as funding needs can be met. Twenty-four chapters discuss standards for such matters as police functions, pretrial procedures, sentencing, appeals, trial procedures, and prosecution and defense functions. Footnotes with references are provided. Appended to Volume IV are a derivation table, a table of cases, and a subject index.