Researching Law Volume 31 Issue 1 - Flipbook - Page 5
VO L 31 | NO 1 | SP RING 2020
release and revocation of decisions.
They took extensive field notes
on their observations and sent in
their field reports for collecting,
classifying, and coding.
This project resulted in over 2,000
field reports on the daily activities
of the police, courts, prosecutors,
and more. The observations
covered many of the key decision
stages in the criminal justice
process from arrest to prosecution
and conviction, revealing findings
that even the most preeminent
experts had not previously noticed
or observed. The researchers
described problems encountered
at different decision points in the
administration of criminal law, the
actions taken, and the explanations
for them. The Survey specifically
focused on the “low-visibility”
decisions of all participants in the
criminal justice system, which were
not widely known nor understood.
The observations
covered many of the
key decision stages
in the criminal
justice process from
arrest to prosecution
and conviction,
revealing findings
that even the most
preeminent experts
had not previously
noticed or observed.
These decision points had not
previously been reflected in formal
criminal justice literature prior to
the ABF Survey.
The ABF Survey was completed
throughout the 1950s and included
the first observational studies
that revealed the fundamental
differences between ‘law on the
books’ and law in action. The
findings were included in five
books, published through the
1960s, and were revelatory for
legal scholars and practitioners
alike. By the time the final book
on the subject was printed in
1969, the field of criminal justice
administration scholarship was
transformed.
The ABF Survey
included the first
observational
studies that revealed
the fundamental
differences between
‘law on the books’
and law in action.
FRANK J. REMINGTON
Image courtesy of University of
Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
shape the Survey’s research
objectives and helped create a new
criminal justice paradigm. The
ABF hired Frank J. Remington
to serve as the director of the
Survey. He was a law professor
at the University of Wisconsin
and an expert in criminal court
procedures. He had previously
worked on major criminal
law reform projects, including
assisting in rewriting Wisconsin’s
criminal law system. As Director,
Remington was responsible for
the day-to-day functions of the
Survey. He reviewed field reports
from the research team, providing
PIONEERS OF THE
SURVEY
Frank Remington and
Lloyd Ohlin
To lead the Survey, the ABF
relied upon Frank J. Remington
and Lloyd E. Ohlin. Together,
they served as pivotal figures to
LLOYD E. OHLIN
Image courtesy of Harvard Law
School Special Collections
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