Development and use of prosecutorial performance measures in the US

Resumo

After evolving from private sector experiences almost 40 years ago, the majority of government agencies in the US today are using some form of performance measurement to support agency management, inform budget requests and help with communicating agency achievements and progress to the public. In the justice sector law enforcement, corrections and the courts have developed several meaningful performance standards and related, often supported by electronic systems to enhance operations and performance tracking. Today, performance measurement is considered an essential activity in many justice sector agencies because it provides information needed to manage operations and resources as well as to assess whether the agency and staff are accomplishing their intended results. The close monitoring and analyses of certain measures of performance such as victim satisfaction with the investigation or court process, timeliness of case resolution, and compliance with restitution orders can, for example, lead to performance improvements and better outcomes for victims.