Sexual Assault Case Processing: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

One of the goals of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is to end violence against women and girls in all countries. An important component of this goal is ensuring that all crimes of violence against women and girls are taken seriously by the criminal justice system and that police, prosecutors, judges and jurors respond appropriately. However, research detailing how cases of sexual assault proceed in the criminal justice system reveals that this goal remains elusive, both in the United States and elsewhere. The rape reform movement ushered in changes to traditional rape law that were designed to encourage victims to report to the police and to remove barriers to arrest and successful prosecution. However, four decades after this reform, victims are still reluctant to report sexual assaults to the police, and arrest, prosecution and conviction rates for sexual assault cases are shockingly low. Reversing these trends will require policy changes that are designed to counteract the stereotypes and myths underpinning sexual assault and sexual assault victims

Race, Sex, and Pretrial Detention in Federal Court: Indirect Effects and Cumulative Disadvantage

This is the published version

The Douglas County Drug Court: Characteristics of Participants, Case Outcomes and Recidivism

The purpose of this report is to describe the characteristics of all offenders (N = 255) who were bound over to Douglas County District Court in 2001 and who were subsequently diverted to the Douglas County Drug Court. We present descriptive data on the characteristics of the drug court participants, focusing on their background characteristics and prior criminal record and on their case characteristics. We also present descriptive data on recidivism for drug court participants and for traditionally adjudicated offenders and compare the recidivism rates of these two groups of offenders, controlling for other predictors of the likelihood of recidivism

The Douglas County Drug Court: Characteristics Of Participants, Case Outcomes And Recidivism

The purpose of this report is to describe the characteristics of all offenders (N = 255) who were bound over to Douglas County District Court in 2001 and who were subsequently diverted to the Douglas County Drug Court. We present descriptive data on the characteristics of the drug court participants, focusing on their background characteristics and prior criminal record and on their case characteristics. We also present descriptive data on recidivism for drug court participants and for traditionally adjudicated offenders and compare the recidivism rates of these two groups of offenders, controlling for other predictors of the likelihood of recidivism

Cost/Benefit Analysis of the Douglas County Drug Court

The primary purpose of this cost-benefit evaluation of the Douglas County Drug Court (DCDC) is to provide administrators and policy-makers with critical information for future policy and funding decisions. This study expands and refines previous DCDC cost-benefit analyses through an investigation of drug court program investment, outcome and societal-impact costs and savings. This study employs a Transaction Cost model that examines complex, multi-agency events and costs for participants in drug court and non-drug court comparison groups. A “cost-to-taxpayer” approach is used that includes any criminal justice related costs (or avoided costs) generated by drug court or non-drug court comparison group participants, that directly impacts citizens either through tax-related expenditures or personal victimization costs/losses due to crimes committed by drug offenders

Felony Offenses In Douglas County District Court, 2001

The purpose of this report is describe the offender and case characteristics and the outcomes of all felony cases (N = 2,663) bound over for trial in Douglas County (Nebraska) District Court in 2001.1 We present descriptive data on these cases, focusing on defendants’ background characteristics and prior criminal record, the nature and seriousness of the charges for which the defendant was bound over to District Court, the disposition of the case, and case processing time. We also examine case dispositions and sentences for 15 different types of felony offenses and present descriptive data and case outcome data for defendants who were held in custody prior to trial and for non-violent defendants who were charged with property crimes (burglary, theft, fraud, and forgery). In the final section of the report we provide information on case characteristics and case outcomes for white and black defendants and for male and female defendants

Final Report For The Evaluation Of Nebraska’s Serious And Violent Offender Reentry Program

The purpose of the evaluation of the NDCS Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Program was to assess the success of the program in three areas. First, an evaluation of the process was conducted to determine if a reentry program had indeed been created by the NDCS. Second, a cost benefit analysis was conducted to determine the economic savings that a reentry program could promote for the state of Nebraska. Finally, an outcome evaluation was conducted to determine if the reentry program was successful in its goal of reducing recidivism among serious and violent offenders in the state. Below are the key findings of each of these three evaluation components