Approximately 200,000 persons aged 60 and older are arrested annually in the United States and over 50,000 of these persons are formally accused of a crime each year. An exploratory study was conducted to probe the adversarial posture of elderly misdemeanant defendants. An analysis of 4,976 cases drawn from the official dockets of the Dade County…

Poor rural residents are often denied equal protection, due process, and other constitutional rights given to every American. The application of justice in rural America is lacking in its: (1) law enforcement quality, (2) judicial process functions, and (3) participation by the poor and ethnic minorities residing within its jurisdiction. Several…

This report, based on a study of delinquency cases in the Bronx and Brooklyn family courts, examines the juvenile justice system in New York City. The study considered the following questions; (1) To what extent were problems being experienced by the court at various stages in the processing of cases? and (2) To what underlying forces might the…

A survey was conducted on the use of lay advocates to investigate state reaction to a recent court decision in Delaware on the use of lay advocates and the availability of representation for parents of students with disabilities in due process hearings. The Delaware Supreme Court found in 1999 that lay advocates representing parents at due process…