Summary
THINGS IN COMMON |
THINGS DIVERSE |
In all countries, police make up the majority of criminal justice personnel. |
Differences among countries in occupational distribution of criminal justice personnel are due to the different roles and definitions of criminal justice occupations, and the political structure of the country. |
The number of police per 100,000 population is increasing in the 1990s.
The number of police is unrelated to the amount of property crime, but may be related to the level of murder. |
Individual countries display great diversity in their levels of policing in relation to their levels of crime. Some countries with high crime rates may report low policing rates (Sweden); countries with low crime rates may report high policing rates (Singapore); countries with low crime rates may report low policing rates (Japan); and countries with high crime rates may report high policing rates (Colombia). |
In all countries, men make up the majority of the criminal justice work force. |
However, a small number of countries has resisted increasing employment of women in the work force, even in those less traditionally male occupations, such as in the courts. |
There is a clear trend in recent years to employ more women in the criminal justice work force. |
Industrial countries have a higher proportion of women in the criminal justice workforce in all four occupations of police, prosecution, adjudication and corrections. |
The ratio of adult convicted prisoners to adult prison beds varies hardly at all among countries. |
The ratio of prisoners to staff varies considerably. The developing country (non-industrial) ratio of prisoners to staff is 2 to 4 times greater than that of developed (industrial) countries. |
Correction staff per 100,000 pop. Has risen 3.5% from 1990 to 1994. |
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Prisons are a resource that is universally employed. The growth of prisons applies to both industrial and non-industrial countries. |
The range of expenditures on prisons and their operations is vast, from a low of $69 per prisoner to a high of $157,000 per prisoner. |
The number of judges per 100,000 population is increasing in most countries. |
Common law countries have more judges per 100,000 population than do countries with other legal systems. |
Non governmental participation in criminal justice spans the globe, and is a way for countries to take advantage of their natural human and cultural resources. |
Non governmental participation in criminal justice takes on many forms: private security and private prisons, lay judges, common law juries, and customary justice in African nations. Lay participation in criminal justice, though a great tradition in non-industrial countries of Africa, is slowly declining in the West, with the possible exception of the United States. |