The Office of Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice today published an NIJ Journal article that explores how members of the courtroom community-judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys-collectively affect court operations and sentencing outcomes and can influence systemic justice reforms.
Based on a theory of organizational dynamics, the courtroom community framework has been used to obtain a better understanding of felony court decision-making, processing, and outcomes. In recent years, the concept has been used to analyze the implementation of sentencing guidelines, mandatory minimums, and sentencing policies so we can understand how court adaptation affects the final outcome of legal and policy changes in the court system.
TITLE: Courtroom Communities: Criminal Case Processing and
Sentencing Reform (NCJ 304622)
AUTHOR: National Institute of Justice
HERE: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/courtroom-communities-criminal-case-processing-and-sentencing-reform
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The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
