Statistical Training for Kosovo

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Statistical Training for Kosovo

• Uses of Statistics on Crime, Justice Security

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Summary

• Collecting Statistics is expensive. This money
  will be wasted unless the figures are used
  properly.
• There are three main uses of Statistics on crime,
  justice and security
• To enable senior officials to manage each agency
  effectively
• To enable agencies to account for their law
  enforcement to Parliament, the general public and
  the media.
• To ensure that policies cutting across more than
  one agency are properly considered and evaluated

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A. Statistics to manage agencies effectively

• The following is needed to manage each agency
  effectively
• Measures of workload and resources, especially
  personnel
• Indicators of work carried out by agency
• Indicators of work not carried out eg crime not
  solved cases delayed.
• Statistics for each area of the country to show
  that each area gets its fair share of service.
• Mechanism for getting figures to managers in a
  routine fashion
• Statistical training for managers

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Workload and Resource Statistics
Statistics needed each geographic area Workload Resources
Police Crimes recorded, by type Traffic incidents No of police Cost of police
Prosecution Cases from police Cases sent to the court No. of prosecutors Cost of prosecutors
Courts Cases received Cases disposed of No. magistrates, staff Cost of courts
Probation Probation cases from the courts, by offence Community service orders No. probation officers Cost probation
Prisons Prisoners in prison, by type Prisoners on remand No. prison officers Cost of prisons
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Indicators needed by managers
For each geographical area Indicator
Police Crime recorded per policeman Crime solved per policeman Crimes not solved per policeman
Prosecution Cases processed per staff member Cases returned to police per staff member Cases successful in court per staff member
Courts Case load per staff member Fines collected by the court Average waiting time in prison
Probation Case load per officer Cases successfully completed per officer
Prisons Prisoners per police officer Overcrowding of prisons
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Getting statistics to managers

1. A mechanism is necessary to do this such as a
   statistical bulletin, briefing note or routine
   meeting
2. This will need to be at least monthly
3. It should be short and include only a brief
   selection of figures
4. It also needs a commentary and charts to make the
   figures easier to read
5. Managers will need to be trained in the use of
   figures. They also need to feedback their needs
   for new figures and different ways of
   presentation.
6. Getting statistics to managers is entirely
   different from publishing the figures to the
   Parliament and the public which need not be done
   so frequently .

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Using Statistics for public accountability

• The main customers for statistics are the
  Parliament, the media, the general public and
  International bodies
• Members of Parliament should have summary figures
  presented to them in an annual report. This
  should be easy to read and include commentary and
  figures. It should be in the most commonly used
  language
• The media need to have summary figures presented
  to them, probably annually, in easily read form,
  often at a press conference where questions can
  be asked.
• The general public will generally get their
  figures via the media. However, some people, such
  as academics, interest groups and students may
  need special statistics and should be given
  access to these through special arrangements.
• 5. International bodies such as the EU and
  the UN usually ask for data in their own
  questionnaires

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Types of statistics required for public
accountability

• Simple summary statistics, in the form of
  indicators of
• performance, should be published to show the
• effectiveness of the justice system eg
• 1. Police, Prosecutors, Courts
• Clear up/complete at least X of cases reported
  to them
• Complete cases within a particular time
• Maintain public confidence
• Prisons
• reduce overcrowding
• improve health
• retrain prisoners

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Setting targets and producing action plans

1. Public accountability often includes setting an
   action plan for improvement
2. Statistics are an essential part of this
3. Targets can be set for future years based on the
   indicators of performance set in the previous
   slide
4. Regular publication would show whether the
   targets had been met
5. It would also be an essential starting point for
   discussion on the need for resources in different
   parts of the justice system.

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Action plan for using Performance measures

1. Agree in advance which indicators to use
2. Publish this list, together with a base line of
   current values of the indicators.
3. Measure work load of staff on a regular basis
4. Record measures of success eg clear-ups cases
   finished
5. Record the main time delays for courts.
6. Conduct surveys to obtain public confidence
   measures in current situation and how the
   situation is developing.

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C. Using Statistics for policy development

• There are several reasons for wanting to change
  policy
• To save money for the government
• To react to social changes (population change,
  tourism, drugs, terrorism, organised crime.)
• To use technical developments more efficiently
  (fingerprints, DNA, electronic monitoring)
• Because police, courts, prisons are getting
  overwhelmed by burden, with resulting
  inefficiencies.
• To get more control over the CJ process

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Who starts off case for change

• Policy change can be started off by many
  different areas of the
• justice system eg.
• The finance ministry may seek for savings
• Politicians and senior officials may wish to
  pursue legal reform
• Operational agencies (police, prosecutor,
  judiciary, probation, prison) may wish to be more
  efficient
• Public commentators may exert pressure for change
• Other countries may seem to be coping better with
  similar problems
• However, Statisticians are central to all this as
  they have access
• to the figures and can see where things are not
  as efficient as they
• might be and can forecast what will happen in the
  future

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Examples of possible applications of statistics

• Many policy areas cut across different justice
  agencies and use
• statistics to assist in their planning five
  examples of uses are
• given in the following slides
• Changing remand policies
• Reducing delays in justice
• Developing sentencing policies
• Considering legal aid policies
• Other possible uses of statistics are not covered
  in the slides
• Giving police more powers to end cases by giving
  fixed fines for petty crime.
• Reducing offending by working with offenders
• Restructuring the justice system

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I. Using Statistics to change remand policies

• High remand population can lead to wastage of
  resources
• Costs in feeding prisoners many who do not get a
  prison sentence
• Costs if remand period does not count against
  sentence
• Transport costs in taking cases to court,
  especially for cases that take a long time to
  finalize.
• Long remand periods when prison service not able
  to start rehabilitation and prisoners get no
  chance to work or gain skills
• Increased difficulties for lawyers to advise
  their clients on their legal rights

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Remand What is needed

• Put together police, courts and prison statistics
  
• Numbers in prison
• by age, gender, offence, region
• Length of time spent on remand
• Estimates of how many do not get prison
  sentences maybe a sample survey needed,
• Look at those not remanded to see what problems
  come about
• skipping bail, delays in cases, new crime
  committed

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Remand statistics possible reactions

1. Accept the current situation and seek for the
   resources to manage it.
2. Allow time served on remand to count against
   eventual sentence.
3. Allow period before trial to be spent in the
   community, perhaps under probation supervision or
   electronic monitoring.
4. Allow those remanded in prison to start training
   and rehabilitative work
5. Introduce a maximum time before trial to
   encourage agencies to become more efficient in
   their work in preparing the evidence for trial

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II. Using Statistics to reduce delays

• What impact do delays in the court process have
  and how can these impacts or delays be reduced?
• Is delay a problem with the Court process or
  resources?
• Are other factors involved?
• Can other players in the criminal justice system
  assist in reducing delay?

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Delay What statistics are needed

• Measure the time from arrest to sentence
• Break this down between different stages in the
  process
• Identify the causes of delay and those who might
  address them
• Establish agreed actions between the courts and
  others

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Delay Actions that might result

• Elements of the court process could be improved,
  such as setting court dates more quickly and
  re-organising the availability of court/judicial
  resources
• Other agencies called upon to help such as
  police ensuring defendants turn up at court
• Arrangements for producing the prisoner from jail
  to the court could be improved
• New arrangements introduced support or
  protection for witnesses

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III. Using Statistics to develop sentencing
policies

• Are sentences effective.
• What is reconviction rate? What do victims think
• What does the public think?
• Money can be saved by reducing sentences.
  (Statistics can estimate this.)
• Increased sentences would cost more money
  ( Again can be estimated)
• Sentences could be more similar to those in other
  countries.
• Sentencing guidelines could be issued for
  magistrates and judges. This would give more
  control. This occurs frequently in the USA.

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Sentencing what is needed

• Measure of reconvictions data base needed
• Measures of confidence from surveys
• Effect of changes in sentencing apply new rules
  to last years statistics
• Examine guidelines from other countries to see
  whether these could be fitted into your
  legislation

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Example looking at sentencing policy

• The UK is concerned with sentences for knife
  crime. Data is on the web site and the trends in
  prison numbers is
• http//www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/knife-
  possession-sentencing-bulletin-jan-march-10.pdf

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IV. Using Statistics to consider legal aid
policies

• In many countries the government pays some
  defence costs Legal Aid
• In some countries (EW) LA expenditure is too
  high.
• If more offenders aided legally, perhaps through
  donor money to start with, then this could pay
  for itself by reducing the costs of the CJS.
• Legal aid could be on arrest as in some countries
  (eg England Wales) for court appearance or
  for appeal
• Some countries have compensation for injury as a
  result of crime

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Legal Aid What is needed

• Examine other countries rules for legal aid and
  see how they could be modified for your country
• Look at numbers who currently use defence lawyers
• Consult lawyers, court staff, offenders, perhaps
  using a sample survey
• Work out impact of changes length of trials,
  different guilty rates different sentences, etc.

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Conclusions

• Statistics can assist in managing criminal
  justice policies
• For each proposed policy change a different set
  of statistics would need to be calculated
• This would need to be supplemented by surveys of
  opinion.
• A base line set of statistics on the current
  position would be needed
• Estimates of potential change can then be made
• Researchers can suggest changes that would be
  possible from their study of work in other
  countries.