Leadership and Organization Structure
All organizations have structure; criminal justice is much like the military in regards to having a chain of command that delegates his/her authority downward from the major command element (Stohr & Collins, 2014).
Max Weber defined the characteristics of a bureaucracy as the following: there must be a hierarchy of authority that has several levels each controlled by the one above them, each position is divided with no overlap of duties or responsibilities, there must be formal rules and procedures, the work environment must be impersonal and employment decisions must be based on technical qualifications (Stillman, 2010; Stohr & Collins, 2014).
In a bureaucratic system, communication and policies flow down to employees as directives. To better understand the hierarchy of such organization we must look at what it entails. A bureaucratic management system is a centralized, rigid system that contains parts of a military structure, whereas, employees are armed, wear uniforms, badges, patches and other items (Stohr & Collins, 2014).
Organizations can be formal or informal, open or closed however most law enforcement and courts operate under an open system and corrections operate under a closed system (Stohr & Collins, 2014). Prisons can be compared to military installations; both are off limits to the general public thus creating an air of secrecy about the things that transpire behind the fences.
Although the different criminal justice organizations have similar attributes there are certain characteristics that determine the structure: how work is assigned, tasks employees are assigned, how far organizational control reaches, if organizations fall under one authority or is delegated to l...
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Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Retrieved from http://clarkmussman.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/leadership-theory-and-practice.pdf
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Stohr, M. K., & Collins, P. A. (2014). Criminal Justice Management: Theory and Practice in
Justice-Centered Organizations (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
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Stohr, M. K, & P. Collins. (2009). Criminal Justice Management. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. (2011). America’s courts and the criminal justice system (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Bender, L David, and Bruno Leone. Criminal Justice: opposing viewpoints. St. Paul, Minnesota: Greenhaven Press, 1981. Print.
The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) has traditionally operated under a function organization structure within state government that clearly separated services provided into two primary categories: prisons and parole services with both categories reporting to the agency Director. An organization structure based on functions provides a clear direction for job requirements, allows the opportunity for staff to become experts in their field of assignment, which increases productivity. Although this structure was successfully utilized by the DRC for many years, unintentionally, it created a separation between levels of management and their subordinates and division and a division between the agency’s prison and parole services.
This chapter discusses two different models of the criminal justice system: Consensus model and Conflict model. The consensus model suggests that all parts of the criminal justice system strive towards a common goal and that there is a huge amount of cooperation between the parts which allows smooth processing. The Conflict model is the opposite. The Conflict model suggests that each part of the criminal justice system is self-serving because each department focuses on success, promotion, pay increase, and accountability. The main difference between the two models is that the Consensus model suggests a smooth flowing criminal justice system while the Conflict model suggests that the departments of the Criminal Justice system is uncooperative
Daly, Kathleen, Goldsmith, Andrew, and Israel, Mark. 2006, Crime and Justice: A guide to criminology, third addition, Thomson, Lawbook Co.
The Criminal Justice System can be very rewarding because it deters crime, protects and minimize recidivism all while treating all Americans equally under the law (Department of Justice, 2013). The Criminal Justice System’s Administration is composed of three system components which collectively functions the Criminal Justice System if effectively enforced and monitored (The Criminal Justice System, 2008). The Criminal Justice Administration is composed of Police Officers, Public Defenders and other Legal occupant whose main job is to protect, serve and rehabilitate (The Criminal Justice System, 2008). When the Administration’s occupants become involved in corruption they become a conflict of interest. Conflicting Rewards can negatively impact the Criminal Justice Administration and the people it was created to serve when the primary goal becomes undesirable (Kirby, 2016).
Walker, Jeffery T., Ronald G. Burns, Jeffrey Bumgarner, and Michele P. Bratina. "Federal Law Enforcement Careers: Laying the Groundwork." Journal of Criminal Justice 19.1 (2008): 110-135. Web. 20 Apr 2011.
My interests in government and law first arose in grade 10 of high school when I took both civics and law classes. Here is where I first learned about the importance of the constitution, charter and the government’s role in the criminal justice system. This is also where I first learned about government policy and the importance of accountability and oversight in the criminal justice system. I immediately became captivated by these classes and knew that I wanted to do something in this field. My experiences in the Criminal Justice and Public Policy (CJPP) undergraduate degree have led me to become passionate about several criminal justice issues such as corrections, penology, victimology and public policy. One specific area of interest that I have found incredibly captivating is the accountability and oversight of the courts, judiciary, police and the media when reporting on criminal justice issues. Over the four years in my program, I have had the opportunity to learn about an immense number of criminal justice issues and methodologies that have created a desire to continue learning and practicing in the criminal justice field. As the CJPP program can be very demanding, it has allowed me to develop my problem-solving, communication, organizational, and time management skills.
Cole, G. F., & Smith, C. E. (2008). Criminal Justice in America (5th ed.). : Thomson Learning.
The criminal justice system has come a long way in the United States. This system is a unique and diverse formation that leads to many years of historical study. As new case studies and circumstances come to light, the criminal justice system continues to grow and change. Criminal justice officials are facing different challenges more so than those that existed many years ago. As the criminal justice system has evolved, so has the way professionals are expected to handle themselves in the community. Scholars interested in a career in any criminal justice field need a good foundation and a basis of knowledge. Perspectives in Criminal Justice is one of the first courses a student will take. This paper focuses on the some
Organizations in today’s world need to adapt and overcome many obstacles that are predictable as well as unpredictable. Max Weber outlines the five basic principles of bureaucracy which are as follows: The Division of Labor, Hierarchy of Authority, Written Rules and Regulations, Impersonality Principal, and Technical Qualifications. These basic principals were designed to maximize productivity and assert authority over subordinates in the workforce. (Weber, 1968) In present day the basic principles of Weber’s bureaucratic design are still visible in just about every organization. The only variable is to what extent they are applied.
Barker, Thomas, Ronald D. Hunter, and Pamela D. Mayhall. Police Community Relation and Administration of Justice. 4th ed. NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1995
Kania, R., & Davis, R. P. (2012). Managing criminal justice organizations: an introduction to theory and practice (2nd ed.). Waltham, MA: Anderson Pub.
In Max Weber and Classical Bureaucratic Theory, Weber discuss about interior organization of administration and he has created 8 characteristics of “ideal-type” bureaucracy which consists of hierarchical structure, unity of command, specialization of labour, employment and promotion based on merit, full-time employment, decisions based on impersonal rules, importance of written files and bureaucratic employment totally separate from the bureaucrat’s private life. Weber believes that bureaucracy was the most well-organized method than any previous version, but he also discovery that bureaucratic also has many problems. Some people critics about Weber’s work because he overemphasize on the impact of organization on workers and ignored the impact of the worker on the organization. Philip Seiznick stated that informal system of the worker also significant in organization, and Warren G. Bennis and Philip E. Slater declares that bureaucracy is outmoded, too emphasize on rigid rules and hierarchical.