September, 2008
The New York City Criminal Justice
Agency, Inc. (CJA),
is a not-for-profit corporation that provides a variety of criminal justice services under a contract with the City of New York. In order to perform these functions CJA maintains a computerized database containing arrest and defendant information, and case-processing and court-outcome data. Within the agency the Research Department uses this information to assist in the operational work of the organization, and for program-planning purposes both within and outside of CJA.
As part of its information services, the Research Department reports on Agency activity, arrest patterns, arraignment outcomes, and failure-to-appear (FTA) rates in Criminal and Supreme Court. This information, encompassing the entire range of Agency activities, is presented in our Annual Report series. The first Annual Report, which was published in February 2005, covered arrests during the last six months of 2003, beginning with the implementation of CJA's new recommendation system. (Data for previous years are available in the discontinued Semi-Annual Report series.) Subsequent issues cover a full calendar year of arrests, with FTA and release data for the previous year's Supreme Court cases. The one-year reporting delay for Supreme Court is necessary to allow time for these more serious cases to reach disposition. The Annual Report for 2006
with Supreme Court data for 2005 arrests, was released in December 2007.
CJA's research agenda covers a broad array of criminal justice policy concerns, ranging from studies of juvenile justice, domestic violence, and alternative-to-incarceration programs to participation in the creation of new City initiatives. For example, Research Department staff helped develop the targeting criteria for Operation Spotlight, a program designed to identify active offenders who repeatedly engage in nonfelony crimes, for court decision makers. The Department's specialized research projects are designed to evaluate or better inform criminal justice policies. Summaries of several current research projects are provided below.
The Day Custody Program:
CJA is continuing to study the Day Custody Program (DCP), started in 2005 by the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), in conjunction with the New York City Department of Correction (DOC). The research examines the volume and characteristics of DCP-sentenced cases and defendants; program completion rates; re-arrest rates; and the characteristics of the screened but not program-sentenced cases.
Bail Making In New York City:
This study extends previous research on release and bail decisions, and their effects on case outcomes. The findings have been presented in a series of reports beginning in 2004. The research has now moved on to an examination of the form in which bail is posted—as cash or bond—in the four largest boroughs of New York City. Of particular interest is the current role of bail bondsmen, after decades in which they had all but disappeared in New York City . The form in which bail is posted is not computerized by the City's courts or detention facilities, so the project involves a labor-intensive effort to collect information from paper bail and bond receipts scattered among courthouses in each borough and the various Department of Correction facilities. Preliminary data from Manhattan suggest that the use of bondsmen has increased in that borough. A citywide report is in preparation.
Likelihood of Re-Arrest Among Released Prisoners
CJA has proposed a pilot program that will offer an alternative to detention (ATD) at Criminal Court arraignment. As part of that proposal, CJA will examine the likelihood of pretrial re-arrest among defendants considered at moderate risk for failure to appear if released on recognizance. The research will focus on a sample of defendants arrested in the third quarter of 2005. Multivariate analysis will be performed to identify significant predictors of re-arrest. The findings will be used to develop a classification system which would categorize defendants on the basis of risk of re-arrest.
Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence:
CJA is continuing its research on criminal justice policy responses to domestic violence. Domestic violence has become a focus of attention as demonstrated by new legislative initiatives, changes in police arrest practices, and in prosecutorial and court policies. These national trends are reflected in New York City, which has seen more frequent arrests in domestic violence cases, more vigorous prosecutions, greater use and enforcement of court orders of protection, and new court procedures and programs, including specialized courts to hear domestic violence cases. Using quantitative analysis along with field observation and in-depth interviews, CJA's research examines the court processing of domestic violence cases. CJA is currently examining case processing and patterns of offending for young male domestic violence offenders in New York City.
Recidivism Among Defendants Charged with Drug, Weapon or Sex Crimes:
This study of recidivism among defendants arraigned on felony-severity drug, weapon or sex crimes will track re-arrests for defendants arraigned between October and December of 2002. Half of the 6,700 cases in the file were processed in the Supreme Court.