NCJ Number
76065
Date Published
1980
Length
114 pages
Annotation
The results of an evaluation of the Brevard County, Fla., criminal justice system are reported; they cover planning, coordination, standards, the police and sheriff's department, the courts, the county corrections institution, and administration.
Abstract
The evaluation was based on criminal activity data, organizational analyses, budget data, and demographic information. The county was found to be a high crime area, with the incidence of crime increasing in proportion to increases in the population. The criminal justice planning function should be upgraded in the county and the criminal justice coordinating committee should be given responsibility for coordinating the system. Public representation should be increased, realistic standards should be established and enforced, a professional law enforcement officer should be selected as sheriff, a police legal advisory position should be established to provide assistance to local police forces, a training center should be established through the community college, and a crime laboratory should be established. It is also recommended that a separate corrections department be established, that a consolidation of law enforcement services be examined, and that centralized equipment purchasing be instituted. Some sections of the county were found to be not paying their fair share of law enforcement costs. An evaluation program should be instituted for the court system through the county bar association, and citizen involvement in the courts and corrections systems should be encouraged. An additional county court judge is necessary. Municipal codes should be standardized and streamlined. Additional staff are needed for the State's attorney's office. Construction feasibility should be studied. The most pressing need of the criminal justice system is the development of a management and criminal justice activity information system. A more active crime prevention program should be implemented. Footnotes and tabular data are provided. (Author abstract modified)