No evidence that specialization is harmful. Staff finds there exists little evidence that the new wave of specialized criminal justice courts is harmful. This was the general consensus of the judges and practitioners staff met during site visits. It was reflected in the staff survey that 86.4 percent of respondents said that they did not believe that the introduction of specialized criminal justice courts has created too much variation in the criminal courts and respondents assessed the level of interest in specialized courts by various professionals as high. What follows is a list of the various potential benefits and disadvantages of specialized courts.
Expertise leads to greater efficiency.
It also helps to produce a higher quality of service by judges, prosecutors, and defenders. Draws special attention to a class of cases that would not otherwise receive special attention from a general jurisdiction criminal court. The circuit determines which class of cases requires the attention of a specialized court based on local needs. Transfers a problematic class of cases that would otherwise bog down a general jurisdiction criminal court. Allows for judicial intervention and supervision of offenders diverted from the traditional criminal justice correctional system.