The formulation of the original standards required 10 years of effort. The project produced 18 sets of standards, comprising 476 separate policy provisions. The standards are suggestive guidelines rather than mandatory ones and are applicable to the administration of criminal justice at the Federal, State, and local levels. They encompass the entire criminal justice process from the police function through the final postconviction remedies. The American Bar Association's most noteworthy contribution to the permanence of the standards and their impact on the criminal justice system has been their carefully planned nationwide implementation. A special committee was also established to monitor the standards, with the added responsibility of considering revisions that might be proposed in the future. The second edition resulted from an effort lasting more than 3 years; a basic goal was elimination of overlapping duplication and inconsistencies. Jurisdictions may choose to implement the standards in a variety of ways, by translating them into legislation or rules of court, or by combing approaches. Forty-seven references are listed.