Courts

  • Handcuffed man standing in a courtroom

    Commentary

    Drug Dependence: Treatment Over Incarceration

    Drug dependence imposes significant costs to society and traditional criminal justice responses like imprisonment do not reduce crime. More quality research on alternative sanctions could help police, prosecutors, and judges expand their options while helping users get treatment.

    Oct 3, 2016

  • Cyber illustration of a judge's gavel

    Commentary

    The Future of Cyber Investigations at the FBI Is Unclear

    Evidence presented by the FBI in the case of U.S. v. Jay Michaud was excluded because the agency was unwilling to reveal the software exploit used to collect it. If the FBI exposes its capabilities, other criminals can patch their computers, but concealing its techniques risks the ability to prosecute cyber criminals.

    Aug 24, 2016

  • Tool

    Tool

    Courts Innovation Needs Tool

    Using information drawn from the report findings, this interactive tool for ranking court innovation needs allows users to re-prioritize the needs, based on their own views of the importance of different court system policy goals.

    Jul 22, 2016

  • Judge Merrick Garland speaks after President Obama announced him as his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, March 16, 2016

    Commentary

    A Spotlight on the Supreme Court, and Its Vacancy

    More than four months have passed since President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. In a time of contentious politics, a clear majority of Americans want the court to have a full bench. But they appear unlikely to get it soon.

    Jul 19, 2016

  • Report

    Report

    Evaluation of the Offender Liaison and Diversion Trial Schemes

    In 2014 a new model for liaison and diversion schemes, which identify people with vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system, was implemented in ten areas of England. This evaluation looks at the implementation of the new model in these sites.

    Jul 12, 2016

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: July-August 2016

    This issue highlights the stress of military deployments and resilience of military families; RAND research on cybercrime, network defense, and data breaches; the 40th anniversary of RAND's landmark Health Insurance Experiment; and more.

    Jun 27, 2016

  • A keyboard with a justice button and U.S. flag

    Report

    Fostering Innovation in the U.S. Court System

    The court system needs to adapt to today's challenges and respond to new opportunities. Identifying high-priority needs provides a menu of innovation options for addressing key problems or capitalizing on emerging opportunities.

    May 10, 2016

  • Car keys on the table while someone is drinking

    Testimony

    A New Way to Reduce Heavy Drinking and Alcohol-Related Crime?

    After South Dakota adopted an innovative sobriety program, the number of arrests for repeat drunk driving fell by 12 percent at the county level. Evidence suggests the program can work elsewhere. However, stakeholders will face many choices about how to implement it.

    Mar 29, 2016

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Fixing Judicial Recusals

    If judges or justices own stock in the company of a litigant, they must recuse themselves from hearing the case.

    Mar 16, 2016

  • A Navy guard patrols Camp Delta's detainee recreation yard during the early morning at Guantánamo Bay naval base on July 7, 2010

    Commentary

    How to Fix Guantanamo's Broken Justice

    Replacing military judges with federal judges would expedite the process of resolving the Guantánamo cases in ways that would reflect better on the credibility and legitimacy of the U.S. justice system, while serving the interests of Congress, the president, survivors, and victims' families.

    Mar 7, 2016

  • Call with the Experts

    Multimedia

    Observations from Guantanamo

    In this Call with the Experts, Jack Riley discusses the likelihood of Guantanamo Bay detention camp closing before the end of President Obama's term, as well as recommendations on how to fairly and transparently expedite the trials.

    Mar 1, 2016

  • A gavel in a courtroom

    Journal Article

    An Innovative Program for First-Time Drug Offenders on Probation

    Maricopa County (Arizona) Drug Court is a postadjudication program for probationers with a first-time felony conviction for drug possession. Probationers are required to participate in an outpatient comprehensive drug treatment program, and their progress is monitored by the judge.

    Feb 25, 2016

  • The facade of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

    Commentary

    Fixing Judicial Recusals

    If judges or justices own stock in the company of a litigant, they must recuse themselves from hearing the case. While these recusals help ensure impartiality at the level of the individual judge, what effect do they have on the pool of judges that hear cases involving publicly held corporations?

    Feb 10, 2016

  • News Release

    News Release

    Frequent Alcohol Testing Combined with Swift, Certain and Modest Sanctions Is Associated with Drop in Mortality

    An innovative program that requires alcohol-involved offenders to abstain from alcohol and submit to frequent tests was associated with a 4 percent drop in deaths. The associations were most evident among causes of death related to excessive alcohol use, such as circulatory conditions.

    Feb 9, 2016

  • Leader of a group of armed protesters Ammon Bundy talks to the media at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, January 8, 2016

    Commentary

    Oregon Standoff Shouldn't Have an Anti-Terrorism Twist

    Dwight and Steven Hammond were charged under a law enacted to fight terrorism, not rein in wayward ranchers. Anti-terrorist laws should not be used to strengthen prosecutors' hands in nonterrorist prosecutions—it makes national security needs look like an instrument of oppression.

    Jan 13, 2016

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: January-February 2016

    This issue highlights RAND research findings on the effectiveness of correctional education in U.S. prisons; an exploration of how emerging technologies present an ongoing challenge to the criminal-justice community; and more.

    Jan 11, 2016

  • Prisoner wearing handcuffs in a courtroom

    Commentary

    What's Next on the Convicted Terrorist's Timeline?

    As inmates near the end of their sentences for terrorism-related offenses, and with some individuals already freed, it's time to explore what considerations may be necessary.

    Nov 4, 2015

  • Glasses on newspaper stock market report

    Journal Article

    Measuring How Stock Ownership Affects Which Judges and Justices Hear Cases

    This study aims to measure the impact of recusals due to stock ownership on the pool of judges and justices that hear cases involving publicly traded corporations.

    Sep 14, 2015

  • Report

    Report

    The Potential of Blind Collaborative Justice: Testing the Impact of Expert Blinding and Consensus Building on the Validity of Forensic Testimony

    RAND researchers investigated two potential contributors to biased testimony within adversarial litigation involving forensic evidence: experts' knowledge of which side they were testifying for, and lack of input from relevant scientific communities.

    Aug 7, 2015

  • Research Brief

    Research Brief

    Bankruptcy Trusts Complicate the Outcomes of Asbestos Lawsuits

    Interrogatories and depositions in a tort case against a bankrupt firm are less likely to reveal exposure to asbestos in the firm's product than if the case had occurred before the firm filed bankruptcy.

    May 21, 2015

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