This summary reflects the major proposals in the Commission's six reports - "A national strategy to reduce crime," "Police," "Courts," "Corrections," "Community crime prevention," and "Criminal justice system." the volumes are summarized in order, except the implementation section of the first report which constitutes the last chapter of this summary. This summary adheres closely to the precise wording of the Commission's proposals and the standards summarized herein are identified by the same numbering system as employed by the Commission. The appendix contains an outline of part and chapter titles for each of the six reports.

This report contains the complete and objective tabulation of the similarities and dissimilarities between two sets of standards. The seventeen volumes of the American Bar Association's standards for criminal justice are the result of a project characterized by Chief Justice Warren E Burger as " ... the single most comprehensive - indeed, the most monumental - ever undertaken by the American legal professional in its 200 year history ..." The project was designed to promulgate suggested guidelines to assist the 50 states and federal government in overhauling, updating, simplifying, and strengthening their criminal justice systems. The six volumes of the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals document that group's plan for crime reduction at the state and local level. This comparative analysis, conducted by the American Bar Association's section on criminal justice, determined that in many respects, the two sets of standards are parallel. For example, both are designed to diagnose and treat serious ills of the nation's criminal justice system, both span the entire system with corrective actions based at the state and local levels, and both sets of standards are offered in a suggested, rather than mandatory form. In addition, a significant consensus in principle can be gleaned from the reports of the projects. Consequently, both studies will often be examined and compared by the same individuals and groups in each jurisdiction. To facilitate easy comparison, this volume presents a complete and objective tabulation of the similarities and dissimilarities between the two sets of standards. It will provide a helpful tool for those planning appropriate implementation efforts in the criminal justice system at all levels of government.