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Celerity in the Courts: The Application of Fuzzy Logic to Model Case Complexity of Criminal Justice Systems

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Theories and Simulations of Complex Social Systems

Part of the book series: Intelligent Systems Reference Library ((ISRL,volume 52))

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Abstract

There are many complex phenomena in the criminal justice system that are difficult to understand because they contain features or concepts that are fuzzy in nature; in other words, it is difficult to assign a crisp value or label to them. Fuzzy Logic is a mathematical concept developed to deal with these very problems. Fuzzy Logic techniques are capable of dealing with approximate facts and partial truths, and not just precise values to model complex issues and processes. While Fuzzy Logic has been used in a number of criminology and criminal justice research efforts, it has not been applied to issues in the criminal court system. Case management is critical to ensure court systems run efficiently and understanding case complexity is an important part of that task. In this chapter we propose Fuzzy Logic as a technique that could be used to model the complexity of cases using general characteristics that are known before cases enter the court system. Using the adult criminal court system in British Columbia as an example, we propose a model that could predict case complexity immediately following the laying of charges by Crown prosecutors. By understanding case complexity a priori, courts may be able to enhance early case consideration procedures such as screening and scheduling to create a more effective and efficient justice system.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Joinder is a legal term that refers to the process of merging two or more legal matters to be heard in a single trial or hearing.

  2. 2.

    Severance of charges refers to a process where two or more related offenses are charged in a single indictment or information [27].

  3. 3.

    A stay or stay of proceedings, refers to the suspension of a charge, either temporarily or indefinitely. In Canada, charges that have been stayed may be resumed in court within one year.

  4. 4.

    While there are many instances where stays or the withdrawing of charges are used for legitimate reasons that pertain to matters of a case, issuing a stay of proceedings or withdrawing a charge due to an unreasonable delay is considered an undesirable conclusion because the cause of the dismissalis beyond the parameters of the court matter; the facts of the case nor the interpretation of criminal law pertaining to the charges are at question in these particular instances.

  5. 5.

    Remand is a form of pre-trial detention that may be used when incarceration is deemed necessary in order to ensure the accuseds attendance at trial, to protect the public, or to prevent the administration of justice from falling into disrepute [30].

  6. 6.

    In Canada, a Crime Severity Index was developed by Statistics Canada to offer an alternative measure of police reported crime [29].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada

    Andrew A. Reid & Richard Frank

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  1. Andrew A. Reid
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  2. Richard Frank
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Correspondence to Andrew A. Reid .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The IRMACS Centre, The MoCSSy Program, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada

    Vahid Dabbaghian

  2. Department of Computer Science, Troy University, Troy, Alabama, USA

    Vijay Kumar Mago

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Reid, A.A., Frank, R. (2014). Celerity in the Courts: The Application of Fuzzy Logic to Model Case Complexity of Criminal Justice Systems. In: Dabbaghian, V., Mago, V. (eds) Theories and Simulations of Complex Social Systems. Intelligent Systems Reference Library, vol 52. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39149-1_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39149-1_7

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