This project examined options and opportunities for the judicial system to more efficiently utilize resources while preserving the core legal values of accountability, access, fairness and efficiency. The Task Force was divided into four subcommittees which examined: 1) the jurisdiction of the courts, 2) the boundaries of the state’s judicial districts, 3) the feasibility and […]
The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program hoped to increase public safety by facilitating collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, and mental health and substance abuse treatment systems to increase access to services for offenders with mental illness. The Program encouraged early intervention for system-involved individuals with mental illness; provided new and existing mental […]
An evaluation of a pilot program implemented in Lancaster County (Lincoln), Nebraska, designed to change the way in which a defendant’s claim of indigence is assessed by the legal system. Regardless of whether a jurisdiction uses public defenders or another form of retaining defense counsel for indigent defendants, a determination must be made regarding a […]
Just outcomes in the criminal justice system require capable counsel for both the state and the defendant. As caseloads rise, attorneys can and do work faster. However, there is a cost: rising caseloads ultimately mean attorneys will spend less time on each case, therefore aversely impacting both defendants and the legal system. The challenge that […]
Center staff working on this project were tasked with producing a model Nebraska Juvenile Code to be used as a basis for revision of the current Nebraska Juvenile Code.
The Nebraska Supreme Court and the Nebraska State Bar Association, with the assistance of the Public Policy Center, established the Minority and Justice Task Force in 2001 to identify actual or perceived racial/ethnic bias and discrimination in the Nebraska justice system and make recommendations to the Supreme Court on how to address any identified inequities. […]
The Nebraska Minority Justice Committee (MJC) is a unique statewide collaboration that works to develop and implement just and sustainable policy reforms that will not only improve the system of justice but will also strengthen public trust and confidence in our laws and court system. The Committee is a joint effort of the Nebraska State […]
This was an evaluation of a pilot project aimed at reducing failure to appear in court for a defendant’s misdemeanor hearing. The rate at which criminal defendants fail to appear in court is as high as 25-30%, depending on the jurisdiction and type of offense. Failure to appear increases workloads and expenditures for the courts […]
Bornstein, B. H., Tomkins, A. J., Neeley, E. M., Herian, M. N., & Hamm, J. A. (2013). Reducing court’s failure-to-appear rate by written reminders. Psychology, Public Policy, and the Law, 19, 70-80. doi: 10.1037/a0026293
Hamm, J. A., PytlikZillig, L. M., Herian, M. N., Bornstein, B. H., Tomkins, A. J., & Hoffman, L. (2013). Deconstructing public confidence in state courts. Journal of Trust Research, 3, 11-31.
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