This
measure uses summary statistics about compliance with monetary penalties to
complement the evaluation of court activities related to enforcement.
Relevant data include the amount of money ordered, the amount of money paid,
and when money is paid. Analysis will indicate the amount of money paid as a
percentage of what was ordered.
Planning/Preparation.
An illustrative set of data elements is provided on Form
3.5.1, Illustrative Data Elements for Measuring Enforcement of
Probationary Orders. These data can be obtained by separate examination of
the order and sentence document and the payment bookkeeping records. In many
cases, a bookkeeping record may contain all required data.
A
sample of cases will be drawn from the source best suited to capture cases
with monetary penalties and cases older than the typical term of probation
or cases that have been "closed" on the bookkeeping records due to
termination of probation or payment in full. The sample should not be taken
directly from bookkeeping records alone, unless there is evidence that a
bookkeeping record is created for all cases in which an order includes
monetary sanctions. It is possible, for example, that the bookkeeping agency
only creates a record when a payment is made. Sampling from that source
would not be representative of all cases.
Data
Collection. Data
are collected on coded forms. For an example, refer to Form
3.5.1, Illustrative Data Elements for Measuring Enforcement of
Probationary Orders.
Data
Analysis and Report Preparation.
Data analysis will include reports showing averages for total penalty
amounts imposed and percentages of amounts collected. The data collected
will also allow analysis in subgroups related to total amounts ordered and
how long it took for payment.
Review
of the summarized data will yield information about compliance rates. In
addition, the court will be able to look at the statistics and determine how
the total amount imposed relates to percentage of payment, whether the total
amount imposed has an important relationship to how long it takes to pay,
and whether how long it takes to pay is related to the time allotted for
payment. Comparisons among more than one jurisdiction in a State will be
constructed where possible as well as comparisons with available compliance
rate data found in the literature.
