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Research Program
Established
in 1993, the Metropolitan Crime Commission’s Research Program
applies objective research and analysis
to improve policy choices and decision-making
in the criminal justice system. The
research program has three underlying
goals:
Goal
1: Promote accountability and transparency
in the criminal justice system and other
governmental agencies
Goal 2: Provide accurate information
to decision-makers by identifying the
strengths of existing practices and
providing alternatives to improve governmental
effectiveness and efficiency
Goal 3: Educate the public through
the dissemination of our research results
ORLEANS PARISH CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT
Throughout 2007 and 2008, the Metropolitan Crime Commission will issue reports revealing the quarterly performance of the New Orleans criminal justice system. The main goal of these reports is to bring accountability and transparency to the performance of the New Orleans Police Department, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, and the judiciary of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. These reports come at a critical juncture for New Orleans as the criminal justice system continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
Orleans Parish Criminal Justice System Accountability Report - January through June 2008 (Oct 14, 2008)
In the fourth report examining New Orleans Police Department and Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office performance, the MCC finds that there continues to be a large number of arrests for minor offenses and a high dismissal rate for felony cases. The MCC respectfully recommends that the entire criminal justice system better focus its resources on felony crimes of violence.
Click here to view report
Orleans Parish Judicial Accountability Report - January through June 2008 (Sep 24, 2008)
This third report examining performance of the judiciary of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court since January 2007 documents consistent improvements in resolving backlogged criminal cases and reducing the time it takes to close cases. Consistent with previous research, this report also finds some judges have sound case management practices while other judges have adopted procedures that result in a less efficient flow to the criminal justice process.
Click here to view report
2007 Orleans Parish Judicial Accountability Report (Apr 14, 2008)
The second in a series of reports documenting the performance of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court examines felony case processing throughout 2007. The report finds that some judges are more efficient at bringing felony cases to conclusion and that the court as a whole made significant headway in reducing the post-Katrina backlog of criminal cases.
Click here to view report
Third and Fourth Quarter 2007 Orleans Parish Criminal Justice System Accountability Report (February 19, 2008)
In this, the third report analyzing the performance of the New Orleans Police Department and the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, the MCC identifies numerous positive trends in criminal justice system performance as well as areas to target for further improvements. Although there were more felony cases accepted for prosecution and more felony convictions in the latter part of 2007, arrests for minor offenses and a high dismissal rate were poor utilizations of criminal justice system resources.
Click here to view report
Orleans Parish Judicial Accountability Report (January - June 2007)
As part of the Criminal Justice System Accountability Project, the MCC released the first in its series of reports on the Judiciary of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. This report examines felony case processing in the first and second quarters of 2007, which reflects judicial performance as the court was beginning to reestablish normal operations after Hurrican Katrina. The report documents wide variations in judicial efficiency, the court's significantly diminshed felony case processing compared to past research, and an increase in the incarceration rate for individuals convicted of felony drug and property crimes.
Click here to view report
Second Quarter 2007 Orleans Parish Criminal Justice System Accountability Report (October 2, 2007)
The second quarterly report identifies several advances in criminal justice system performance as well as some areas to target for improvement. The main improvements include more arrests for violent felony offenses and more felony convictions. Areas to target for additional improvement include increasing the overall severity of arrest offenses and producing more convictions for violent felony offenses.
Click here to view report
First Quarter 2007 Orleans Parish Criminal Justice System Accountability Report (June 12, 2007)
In the first quarterly report on the 2007 performance of the New Orleans criminal justice system, the Metropolitan Crime Commission found a high number of arrests resulting in fewer felony prosecution compared to before Hurricane Katrina. Recommendations include reducting the number of municipal and traffic arrests and assigning Assistant District Attorneys to work more closely with the New Orleans Police Department within district stations.
Click here to view report
ADDITIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS AND REPORTSCrime & Safety in Central City: A Community's Perspective (January 2007)
A survey of residents of the New Orleans' neighborhood Central City finds citizens fearful of crime and doubtful of the New Orleans Police Department's ability to reduce criminal activity. Primary resolutions that residents identify to reduce crime include better community-police relations, neighborhood watch programs, more opportunities for area youth to positively apply themselves, and a cleaner community with better street lighting.
Click here to view Executive Summary
Click here to view Report
Performance of the New
Orleans Criminal
Justice System 2003-2004 (August 2005)
Released immediately prior to Hurricane
Katrina, this report analyzes arrests
and criminal case outcomes for state
offenses in New Orleans. This
is a follow-up report to the one listed
below, and it highlights changes in
performance from 2000 under different
police and prosecution leadership.
Click here to view Executive Summary
Click here to view ReportAnalysis
of the Processing of State Felony
and Misdemeanor Charges in New
Orleans: Arrest Through Billing
Decision (August 2002)
This report examines the processing
of arrest reports by the New Orleans
Police Department and the subsequent
screening of reports by the Orleans
Parish District Attorney’s
Office. It shows how inefficiencies
in case processing have a detrimental
impact on the success of criminal
cases. It was followed up
by the 2005 report listed above.
Click
here to view ReportBail Bond Reductions in Orleans Criminal
District Court (March 2005) Examines
bond reduction practices for state
offenses in Orleans Parish. Finds
one judge responsible for a disproportionate
number of bonds.
Click
here to view ReportAnalysis
of Judge Trial Outcomes in Orleans
Parish Criminal District Court 1999 – 2003
(October 2004)
Presents the disparate outcomes
of judge trials for each of the
12 judges of Orleans Parish Criminal
District Court.
Click
here to view ReportAnalysis
of the Processing of State Felony
and Misdemeanor Cases in Jefferson
Parish: Arrest Through Billing Decisions
(November 2003)
Examines the processing of arrest reports
and rates of conviction for different
offenses in the 24th judicial district.
Click
here to view Report
Pretrial Decision Making in the 24th
Judicial District (March 2003)
Examines release of defendants awaiting
trial and the impact of pretrial release
decisions.
Click here to view ReportThe Project Return Program (January
2003)
Measures
the recidivism of participants in Project
Return, an ex-offender reintegration
program.
Click
here to view ReportJuvenile
Recidivism in Metropolitan New
Orleans (April 1999)
Provides
information about outcomes and types of cases in the juvenile justice systems
in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes with an emphasis on juvenile recidivism.
Click
here to view ReportTHE
JUDICIAL WATCH RESEARCH PROGRAM From
1996 through 2002, the Metropolitan
Crime Commission’s Research Program
conducted annual assessments of the performance
of the judiciary in Orleans Parish Criminal
District Court and in the Jefferson Parish
24th Judicial District. These annual
reports evaluated the performance of
the courts and individual judges according
to recognized case processing standards. Copies
of the most recent Judicial Watch reports
are presented below.Felony
Justice in Jefferson Parish
24th Judicial District Court 2000
(February 2002)
Click
here to view ReportFelony
Justice in Jefferson Parish
24th Judicial District Court 1998
(June
1999)
Click
here to view ReportFelony Justice in Orleans Parish
Criminal District Court 2000
(October 2001)
Click
here to view ReportFelony Justice in Orleans Parish
Criminal District Court 1999
(November 2000)
Click
here to view Report
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