DELAY IS DEFINED AS THOSE EVENTS WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS SCHEDULED FOR ACTION BUT NOT REACHED WITHIN EACH FUNCTIONAL OR PROCESSING AREA. THESE AREAS INCLUDE INITIAL SCREENING, ARRAIGNMENT, PRELIMINARY HEARING, GRAND JURY INDICTMENT, PRETRIAL CONFERENCE, AND TRIAL. THE SNAPSHOT TECHNIQUE REFERS TO THE COUNTING OF ALL MATTERS SCHEDULED AND THE RECORDING OF ALL DISPOSITIONS WITHIN A DESIGNATED PERIOD OF TIME FOR EACH OF THE FUNCTIONAL AREAS. SPIN-AROUND REFERS TO THOSE MATTERS NOT DISPOSED WITHIN THE DESIGNATED TIME. FOR INSTANCE, IF 312 PRETRIAL CONFERENCES WERE SCHEDULED FOR ACTION DURING A WEEK, AND 295 WERE NOT DISPOSED OR RECEIVED NO ACTION, THE SPIN-AROUND RATE WOULD BE 95 PERCENT. TWO CHARTS ARE PRESENTED WHICH REPRESENT A FELONY PROCESSING SYSTEM WITHIN A LARGE METROPOLITAN PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE: THE FIRST REPRESENTS MATTERS SCHEDULED AND HANDLED FROM ARREST THROUGH PRELIMINARY HEARING, THE SECOND REPRESENTS THE PROCESS FROM GRAND JURY TO TRIAL. FROM THE CHARTS, THE AREAS IN WHICH PROBLEMS EXIST ARE IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS. IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS TECHNIQUE MERELY REQUIRES COLLECTION OF DATA FOR A PREDETERMINED PERIOD OF TIME WITHIN EACH FUNCTIONAL AREA ON MATTERS SCHEDULED AND MATTERS NOT DISPOSED. TWO ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS INCREASE THE UTILITY OF THIS TECHNIQUE. THE FIRST IS THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME CASES SPEND IN THE SPIN-AROUND AREA; THE SECOND IS AN OVERLAY OF STAFFING PATTERNS IN THE OFFICE ON THE SNAPSHOT. THUS, IT IS POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE DELAY PROBLEM AND STAFF MODIFICATIONS WHICH COULD AMELIORATE THE PROBLEM. THE TECHNIQUE ONLY IDENTIFIES AREAS OF DELAY, BUT NOT REASONS FOR DELAY. THE TECHNIQUE OFFERS A SIMPLE INEXPENSIVE, AND QUICK METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING AREAS OF DELAY AND IS ABLE TO MONITOR AND EVALUATE MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM INPROVEMENT. (JAP)