Interim report the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice : objectives and planning (1976) / Chapter Skim
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From page 10... ...
10 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE P o l i t i c a l Setting I t i s clear from the h i s t o r i c a l record that LEAA was born i n a time of national fear and trauma. Because LEAA i s predominately a state block grant program, the eventual consequences of that emotional beginning depended, for the most part, on the p o l i t i c a l characteristics of the various states.
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11 While none of these pressures became d i r e c t t h r e a t s t o the I n s t i t u t e ' s exist e n c e , I n s t i t u t e personnel o f t e n i n d i c a t e d i n inte r v i e w s t h a t such c r i t i c i s m s and demands shaped t h e i r t h i n k i n g . Their expectations about what LEAA would fund and what Congress would f i n d a c c e p t a b l e -- o r unacceptable -- became c r i t i c a l f a c t o r s i n the planning process.
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12 They covered a wide range of issues, i n c l u d i n g such f a c t o r s as the importance of f a m i l y and school t o c o n t r o l l i n g crime, but they d i d not provide an i n t e grated programmatic focus or formula f o r research (ACIR 1976, Ch.
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13 I argued f o r someone w i t h c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e experience and c r e d i b i l i t y , coupled w i t h a r e p u t a t i o n s u f f i c i e n t t o engage the a t t e n t i o n of the researchers whom we would hope to a t t r a c t t o work on the problems of c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e . My colleague opted f o r someone s k i l l e d i n the e s o t e r l c a of systems analysis and operations research.
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14 desperately on too insecure a knowledge base, could w e l l f r a c t u r e t h a t f r a g i l e union of order and l i b e r t y t h a t i s the democratic experience." (1975, p.
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15 Reduction of Soci a l Costs Associated w i t h Crime and I t s C o n t r o l Mission Area IV Pro v i s i o n f o r Program Support Reduction of Costs Associated w i t h Crime 1 : Mission Area I Mission Area I I Reduction of Need and Desire t o Commit Crime (Crime Prevention and R e h a b i l i t a t i o n ) Increase i n Risks and D i f f i c u l t y of Committing Crime (Crime Control)
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16 I n sum, conceptual ground of a c e r t a i n k i n d , s t r e s s i n g a social-engineering conception of crime c o n t r o l and a test-and-evaluation methodology f o r developi n g p r a c t i c a l knowledge, had been prepared by the time NILECJ was o f f i c i a l l y i n existence i n October 1968. The nagging h i n d s i g h t question -- Could the IDA p l a n , or any other r a t i o n a l i z e d program, have been implemented?
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17 r e h a b i l i t a t i o n . The Center f o r Criminal J u s t i c e Operations and Management was concerned w i t h operations research toward improving law enforcement agencies.
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18 issues and the f a i r n e s s of c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e p r a c t i c e s ; the extent t o which the I n s t i t u t e should monitor and attempt t o co r r e c t the a c t i v i t i e s of other government agencies when those a c t i v i t i e s appear to f o s t e r or f a i l t o a l l e v i a t e crimegenerating conditions i n American s o c i e t y ; the extent t o which the I n s t i t u t e should focus on environmental problems t h a t tend to produce crime; and the ext e n t t o which the I n s t i t u t e should work f o r the improvement of s o c i a l j u s t i c e . The debate suggests the concern and seriousness of purpose t h a t characterized those who were involved i n the d i f f i c u l t stage of beginning a major research and development e f f o r t .
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19 of research i n s t i t u t i o n s and i n d i v i d u a l s during h i s serv i c e as Deputy D i r e c t o r of the Crime Commission and i n academic l i f e , he was second-guessed on every judgment. Whether i t was r e p o r t i n g t o a h o s t i l e Congress or t o an ac t i o n - o r i e n t e d admini s t r a t o r , the j o b of the e a r l y d i r e c t o r s was a p o l i t i c a l r a t h e r than a research task.
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20 One consequence of the c r i t i c i s m of LEAA was LEAA's embarrassing discovery t h a t i t had almost no in f o r m a t i o n about the impact of i t s programs. Therefore, a new e f f o r t was begun throughout LEAA to focus on crime reduction ( r a t h e r than "system improvement")
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21 t r a t i o n . Research Operations, S t a t i s t i c s , and Technology Transfer.
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22 The r e s u l t of t h i s p r o c e s s -- t h e funding program i t s e l f -- ^ w a s s i g n i f i c a n t l y d i f f e r e n t from previous years. F i r s t , NILECJ chose t o l i m i t i t s funding t o a few large-scale grants and contracts on the grounds t h a t t h i s s t r a t e g y f o r spending the money would have the l a r g e s t possible payoff (see Figures 3 and 6, Appendix D)
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23 i d e n t i f y i n g s i g n i f i c a n t successful programs f o r dissemination to other l o c a l i t i e s , r e l a t i n g p r o j e c t success t o Impact Program goals, comparing s i m i l a r programs i n the various Impact C i t i e s , i d e n t i f y i n g f a c t o r s which a s s i s t or impede the process of change i n the c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e system, and determini n g the o v e r a l l achievements of the Impact Program. Thus, apparently convinced t h a t s o l u t i o n s could be found by concentrating large amounts of money at selected s i t e s and b e l i e v i n g t h a t t h i s would r e s u l t i n a more e f f i c i e n t use of R&D money than a fragmented grants program, Leonard and Danziger made the Impact C i t i e s program a major focus of LEAA funds.
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24 asked by means of the Impact C i t i e s Program, t h a t can be a t t r i b u t e d t o the f e d e r a l program. Fourth, the emphasis on e v a l u a t i o n w i t h i n each Impact C i t y has produced masses of data t h a t have seldom been used f o r meaningful evaluat i o n s or other analyses.
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25 the Research Operations D i v i s i o n s t a f f t o conduct i n t r a m u r a l research p r o j e c t s along w i t h some substantive support a c t i v i t y . This arrangement proved t o be unworkable.
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26 The I n s t i t u t e ' s current organization and s t a f f i n g are shown i n Figure 2. The s t a f f i n g does not represent f u l l authorized s t a f f l e v e l s .
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27 O F F I C E OF T H E DIRECTOR Office of Research Programs (2) Police Division Planning Special Assistant Special Assistant Staff Assistant Office of Evaluation (11)
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28 The Caplan period received i t s e a r l i e s t d e f i n i t i o n i n the decision to deemphasize crime-reduction as a goal. The experience w i t h c r i m e - s p e c i f i c and then crime-oriented planning was clear throughout LEAA; i t simply was not poss i b l e t o demonstrate t h a t the various LEAA programs, l e t alone NILECJ grants, had c o n t r i b u t e d t o s p e c i f i c decreases i n s p e c i f i c crime r a t e s .
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29 The s t r a t e g y of change had two s t r u c t u r a l components. F i r s t , the I n s t i t u t e dropped i t s elaborate planning process.
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30 Caplan has developed closer connections w i t h a wider research community, not only t r a d i t i o n a l c r i m i n o l o g i s t s . He i s attempting t o draw i n researchers, and research ideas, from among those who have never done work on c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e but who are i n t e r e s t e d i n behaviors and s o c i a l patterns t h a t are c l e a r l y important f o r understanding crime phenomena.
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31 of c r i m e - s p e c i f i c planning. Usually, the tasks t o be completed are not crime r e d u c t i o n , b u t , f o r example, the development of management c a p a b i l i t i e s , i n f o r mation systems, or data bases.
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32 Strategies f o r shaping program requests have included developing a "needs assessment," looking t o s p e c i f i c c l i e n t s who s p e c i f y t h e i r needs, and funding both sides of c o n t r o v e r s i a l questions. D i r e c t o r Caplan meets w i t h each of the program and d i v i s i o n heads to help shape t h e i r requests.
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33 now r e a l i z e s t h a t a step-by-step, piece-by-piece approach i s the best route t o accomplishing i t s mission. Or i t may r e f l e c t the f r u s t r a t i o n of f a i l u r e and the absence of any sense of mission.
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