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Courts

Journal Article

Drug Offences: Assessment of Guideline

Using data collection exercises in the Crown and magistrates courts, researchers helped identify whether sentencing outcomes for drug and theft offences changed after new guidelines came into force, and examined factors affecting sentencing practice.

Jun 25, 2019
Report

Prosecutor Priorities, Challenges, and Solutions

In March 2018, the Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative convened an expert panel to identify priority needs and solutions for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the prosecutorial component of the criminal justice system.

Apr 18, 2019
Report

Managing the Seriously Mentally Ill in Corrections

This report presents the challenges and needs associated with how individuals with serious mental illness become justice-involved and how to achieve better outcomes before and after these individuals come under correctional control.

Apr 2, 2019
Research Brief

Holistic Representation Can Reduce Incarceration and Save Taxpayer Dollars

A public defense model that seeks to address the underlying challenges and needs of poor offenders prevented more than 1 million days of incarceration over 10 years, without reducing public safety.

Jan 11, 2019
Dissertation

Treatment Not Custody: Process and Impact Evaluation of the Santa Monica Homeless Community Court

This dissertation is a process and impact evaluation of the Santa Monica Homeless Community Court.

Sep 18, 2018
Commentary

Now's the Time to Act on Guantanamo

Most of the 41 terror suspects who remain confined at Guantanamo Bay are unlikely to be released from custody any time soon. But the possibility that new detainees may soon be sent to the facility argues for early action to accelerate the legal proceedings against those already being held.

Apr 16, 2018
Report

How Can We Mitigate the Impact of Communication Technologies on the Right to a Fair Trial?

Court practices to protect the right to a fair trial have not kept pace with rapidly evolving electronic communication and devices. In this context, a panel of judges, lawyers, educators, and other experts explored strategies to protect witnesses from intimidation and jurors from compromising their independence.

Apr 10, 2018
Commentary

Truth Decay and the Spirit of the Law

The widening gap between how the law is expected to be (and generally is) practiced, and certain events transpiring in America's political and policymaking realms, is of increasing concern.

Mar 23, 2018
Commentary

The Problem of Prosecuting International Jihadists

The International Criminal Court may be the most ideal institution to try accused terrorists. The court would take into account the legal status of terrorists, the nationalities of their victims, and the location of the crimes — while upholding the core values of Western democracies.

Mar 9, 2018
Commentary

The Immigration Debate: Building a Bridge Across the Deportation-Amnesty Divide

Discussions of U.S. immigration are dominated by arguments that pit “rule of law” proponents — focused on apprehension, detention, and deportation — against “humanitarian” supporters seeking a pardon or amnesty that will allow immigrants to stay in the country. Minor changes to the statute known as “Cancellation of Removal” could offer a compromise.

Feb 28, 2018
Report

Neither Deportation nor Amnesty: An Alternative for the Immigration Debate

About 11 million people live in the United States without lawful immigration status. Proposed solutions typically focus on deportation versus amnesty, but a minor change to the current immigration law could offer a compromise.

Feb 26, 2018
Report

An Alternative Future for the Corrections Sector

Experts agree that the main role of the U.S. corrections sector should be to help improve offenders' behavior. Better staff training, the elimination of operations that generate revenue, and a cultural shift to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment could help.

Oct 26, 2017
Commentary

The Intersection of Algorithms and an Individual's Rights

Data collection, and our reliance on it, have evolved extremely rapidly. The resulting algorithms have proved invaluable for organizing, evaluating and utilizing information. How do individuals' rights come in to play, when data about their lives is compiled to create algorithms, and the resulting tools are applied to judge them?

Sep 29, 2017
Report

Feasibility of a Survey Panel of Criminal Justice Agencies: For Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Law Enforcement, Courts, and Institutional and Community Corrections Agencies

RAND conducted a feasibility study to establish a survey panel of representatives of small, rural, tribal, and border criminal justice agencies. Such a panel would enable policymakers to collect up-to-date information on priorities and challenges.

Sep 1, 2017
Commentary

Should California Drop Criminal Penalties for Drug Possession?

Californians have a lot to consider when it comes to decriminalizing possession. But now is the time for a rigorous discussion about removing criminal penalties for drug possession, rather than rushing to judgment in the heat of a future election season.

Jul 20, 2017
Report

Provider Fraud in California Workers' Compensation: Selected Issues

Workers' compensation fraud costs insurers and businesses billions of dollars each year nationwide. This report focuses on the intentional manipulation of rules and procedures by providers of health care services and supplies.

Jun 26, 2017
News Release

Too Little Evidence Available to Determine Cost Savings of Crime Reform Initiative for Los Angeles County

While a California ballot initiative reducing penalties for some criminal offenses promised to save local governments money, quantifying such savings will require significant changes in the way local agencies track workloads.

Jun 15, 2017
Report

Too Little Evidence Available to Determine Cost Savings of Crime Reform Initiative for Los Angeles County

While a California ballot initiative reducing penalties for some criminal offenses promised to save local governments money, quantifying such savings will require significant changes in the way local agencies track workloads.

Jun 15, 2017
Journal Article

Desistance Mandates Compared with Treatment Mandates in Criminal Justice Populations

Empowering those under criminal justice supervision to cease drug use on their own - rather than forcing them into formal treatment against their will - is a policy approach that warrants further evaluation.

Jun 8, 2017
Report

Discount Justice: State Court Belt-Tightening in an Era of Fiscal Austerity

Following the 2008 financial crisis, fiscal pressure on the states has led to corresponding pressure for court system retrenchment. In January 2015, the UCLA–RAND Center for Law and Public Policy held a conference to examine the depth of the resourcing problem and identify policy options and practical steps to mitigate the challenges.

May 26, 2017

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RAND Topic:
Courts

Topic Synonyms:
Bar;
Judiciary;
Tribunal

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

James M. Anderson

Director, Justice Policy Program

James Anderson is director of the Justice Policy Program and the RAND Institute for Civil Justice and a senior behavioral/social scientist at the RAND Corporation. He has been the principal investigator on a wide range of projects, ranging from policy implications of autonomous vehicle…
Melissa M. Labriola

Associate Research Department Director, Economics, Sociology, and Statistics Department, Senior Behavioral/Social Scientist

Melissa Labriola is associate research department director, Economics, Sociology, and Statistics Department, and a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. Labriola is currently leading several projects studying police and prosecutor-led diversion, including a RCT of prosecutor-led…

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