ABSTRACT
As is the case with any public agency, criminal justice agencies must constantly struggle on two major fronts. First, they must contend with a public that has become increasingly more concerned about crime and wants something done about it. Second, they must walk through political minefields when attempting any approach to the crime problem. The result is that more often than not, crime policies are based on knee-jerk reactions to the more celebrated cases (O.J. Simpson, Willie Horton, etc.) as opposed to careful projections about the consequences of actions taken. It is those cases, after all, that are in the public eye, and as such, are closely paid attention to by the people elected to serve them.
