Key Elements of Successful Adjudication Partnerships by Jane Nady Sigmon and M
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NT OF ME J T US U.S. Department of Justice R T A I P C E E D B O J C S F A Office of Justice Programs V M F O I N A C I J S R E BJ G O OJJ DP O F PR Bureau of Justice Assistance JUSTICE Nancy E. Gist, Director Key Elements of Successful Adjudication Partnerships by Jane Nady Sigmon and M. Elaine Nugent, American Prosecutors Research Institute John Goerdt, National Center for State Courts Scott Wallace, National Legal Aid and Defender Association Local and state criminal justice systems are under (APRI) for a cooperative effort with the National Cen- constant pressure to operate more efficiently and ter for State Courts (NCSC) and the National Legal effectively without diminishing the quality of their Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) to research services. Criminal justice professionals face com- and document existing partnerships. plex problems which impact more than one agency, This bulletin provides general information about and consequently the problems cannot be resolved adjudication partnerships and describes critical easily by a single agency. Additionally, creating a elements that lead to successful partnerships, as cooperative partnership with independent agencies observed in a variety of partnerships operating in that function in a normally adversarial system such jurisdictions across the country. as the adjudication process can be a difficult task for many jurisdictions. What Is an Adjudication Partnership? Notwithstanding fundamental obstacles, adjudication An adjudication partnership is a formal or informal col- partnerships are proliferating in jurisdictions through- laborative effort in which representatives from key jus- out the United States as criminal justice professionals tice system agencies join together in multiagency task seek new and more effective solutions to complex forces, steering committees, or planning groups to: problems such as backlogged dockets, crowded jails, ❑ Identify problems. and recidivism of drug-addicted offenders. Collabora- tive efforts that involve the key participants of pros- ❑ Develop goals and strategies for addressing the ecutor, public defender, and court in the adjudication problems. process are important for mounting an effective re- ❑ Oversee implementation plans to manage or solve sponse to the problems. the problems. Ideally the membership of an adjudication partner- Recognizing the need for practical information on ad- ship will include representatives from the three judication partnerships that would enable jurisdictions primary players in the adjudication process: the to learn from the experiences of their counterparts, the prosecution, the defense, and the court. Also impor- Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) provided funding tant is the participation of other agencies (such as law to the American Prosecutors Research Institute enforcement and corrections) that would be involved key leaders and managers from other criminal jus- and play critical roles in the resolution of the issue tice agencies that are concerned about the particular under consideration. issues facing the jurisdiction. The term adjudication partnership serves as an um- Leaders have emerged from all criminal justice compo- brella concept under which many interagency efforts nents, depending upon the problem being addressed and can be classified. The concept is not new; examples the individual characteristics of the jurisdiction. can be found in criminal justice coordinating com- mittees, drug courts, expedited case management The Intermediate Sanctions Task Force in Dakota programs, and community justice programs. County, Hastings, Minnesota, was initiated in Adjudication partnerships may be formed for a vari- 1991 after a newly appointed director of commu- ety of reasons, including to address a specific prob- nity corrections engaged other criminal justice lem in the justice system (for example, to develop a professionals in the problem-solving process that much-needed pretrial diversion program) or to form ended a history of distrust and dissension among permanent interagency councils or oversight commit- criminal justice professionals in the county. tees that meet regularly to discuss issues or problems. While partnerships may be formed for specific pur- A leader must possess certain skills and be willing poses, many evolve into permanent criminal justice to take on specific responsibilities, such as clearly committees or councils when participants discover identifying problems and helping group members to the benefits of agencies communicating and solving envision how the local justice system will tackle the problems together. problems, convincing other key people of the value of Most adjudication partnerships have been created working on the problem and of sharing a vision for through grassroots efforts by local criminal justice its resolution, and working to create partnerships leaders who are committed to improving the operation among members to achieve the envisioned change. and effectiveness of local criminal justice systems. A leader must also be able to motivate and inspire people into committing their time and efforts to Characteristics of Successful projects and also investing in participating as equals Adjudication Partnerships around a committee table in spite of real or perceived Criminal justice leaders in many jurisdictions have differences in power or status among the members. been successful in bringing together key players to In this bulletin, the core leadership group is referred tackle difficult problems. Although formed for a vari- to as the steering committee. ety of reasons, these partnerships share several char- acteristics that participants report are critical to a Membership successful partnership. The seven elements considered The membership of the adjudication partnership essential to establishing a successful partnership are should be broad based and should include a criti- leadership, membership, goals, team approach, long- cal mass of key leaders who are truly committed term view, research and evaluation, and broad support. to its goals and strategies. Broad-based representa- Leadership tion helps to ensure that every agency that will be affected by changes initiated by the partnership has Key individuals in the justice system must pro- an opportunity to offer valuable insights regarding vide leadership to give direction to the adjudica- any plan for achieving program or project goals. tion partnership. Forming a partnership in the This strategy also helps to prevent situations in normally adversarial environment of adjudication which agencies that are not included in the planning requires leadership, especially during times of process, or that do not agree with the partnership’s change or crisis. Leaders from one or more key mission, goals, or strategies, might scuttle a program agencies must step forward to assemble a team of or delay its implementation. 2 participants, and considered to be achievable within a The original members of the partnership to estab- certain timeframe. The steering committee, therefore, lish the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court in Santa must set both short- and long-term goals, establish Clara County, San Jose, California, included a priorities, and determine realistic timelines for re- presiding judge of juvenile court, a deputy dis- solving partnership issues. trict attorney, a deputy public defender, a county executive, three juvenile probation representa- In response to the court’s caseload crisis, the tives, an assessment counselor, and two represen- Early Felony Disposition Program (also known as tatives of the Department of Drug and Alcohol LA Fast) in the Central District of Los Angeles Services. As the group progressed in developing County, California, was established through the the program, additional agencies and services leadership of a superior court judge and a munici- were added as critical to the effort (such as law pal court judge. The program had the specific ob- enforcement, mental health treatment, and com- jective of significantly reducing the backlog of munity outreach personnel). superior court trials by expediting the disposition of less serious, nonviolent, first-time felony of- fenders in the municipal court. LA Fast worked If the three key participants—court, prosecutor, with the district attorney, the public defender, and and defense—are included in the membership, the probation officers to establish procedures that re- diversity of perspectives and experiences will make sulted in adjudication of such cases within 3 days the identification of achievable goals more likely of arraignment. and increase the momentum toward their attain- ment. In addition to broadly based membership, a critical mass of key members on the steering com- Team Approach mittee must be truly committed to the goals and The steering committee must employ a team strategies and possess a willingness to expend time approach in the decisionmaking and planning and energy to achieve them. Finally, steering com- processes. Regular and organized steering committee mittees must strive to maintain substantial continu- meetings to share information and ideas and discuss ity among their members as changes in designated problems and plans are essential to maintaining part- participants can be disruptive. nership momentum. Membership in the Intermediate Sanctions Policy All decisions are made by consensus at regular Group in the Sixth Judicial District, Cedar Rap- monthly meetings at the Intermediate Sanctions ids, Iowa, has remained virtually