Chapter4PPT.ppt
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Criminal Justice as an Open System
- Criminal justice system organizations operate within a larger environment comprised of:
- Funding opportunities
- Technological advancements
- Cultural and demographic characteristics
- Legal decisions
- Unions and union negotiations
- Political decisions
- U.S. Supreme Court (not addressed here)
- Media (not addressed here)
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #1: Funding
- Defined: different methods of financially supporting criminal justice organizations and operations
- Funding challenges in political environments
- How do agencies comply with new mandates and enforce new laws without additional funding?
- Example: Some states require police departments to keep accurate records on the race, age, and ethnicity of all drivers stopped for traffic infractions. The new mandate is not necessarily accompanied by new funds.
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #1: Funding
Additional Challenges
- Funding/resources are limited
- Agencies develop budgets but are not always fully funded
- Agencies compete with one another for monies
- Example: as crime increases, police departments and probation offices might both argue that they are in the best position to address the problem; they are tackling the same problem but are also competing for the same funds
- Territorial jealousy: stifles innovation, coordination, and information sharing
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #1: Funding
Sources
- Government grants
- Research: does D.A.R.E work?
- Demonstration: is it feasible to adopt D.A.R.E.?
- Project: let’s adopt D.A.R.E.?
- Formula: money allocated based on certain measures (e.g., crime rates)
- Block: federal money, redistributed by states
- Foundations
- Non-profit: Ford Foundation, Gates Foundation
- Corporate: Walmart, JCPenney
- Private individuals
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #2: Technology
- Public expects technologies to aid in detection and prevention of crime
- Examples
- 911 system
- Electronic monitoring devices
- Less than lethal weapons
- In-car video cameras
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #2: Technology
Challenges
- Employing well-trained workers capable of using technology
- Technical know-how
- Procedures and laws related to new technology
- Must overcome organizational inertia
- Cost
- Equipment
- Training
- Creation of new crime types
- Internet crimes
- Identity theft
- Copyright infringement
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #3: Culture and Demographics
- Demographics: population characteristics
- Age
- Race
- Gender
- Socioeconomic status
- These can affect system operations
- Example 1: Age distribution of population determines size of at-risk population
- Example 2: Some have suggested that decline in homicides during 1990s is due, in part, to the decline in marriage rates
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #3: Culture and Demographics
- Culture
- “Society’s shared attitudes, values, purposes, and routines” (p. 113)
- Problems
- Culture conflicts: two groups hold different cultural beliefs that disagree with one another
- Example: Gambling tolerated by some and frowned upon by others
- Culture gaps: political and legal approaches are not in line with the dominant cultural beliefs of citizens
- Example: A shift in dealing with drug offenders may be underway; politicians are largely punitive but some citizens view the problem from a medical standpoint
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #4: Legal pressures
- The law is a powerful force
- Defines what behaviors are criminal
- Defines relationships among parties
- Restricts the behavior of criminal justice actors
- Types of law
- Common law: based on traditions
- Statutory law: defines crimes and prescribes punishments
- Procedural law: regulates how offenders are processed
- Case law: influence operations and policies
- Civil law: address private wrongs
- Administrative law: used by governments to control agency actions
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #5: Unions
- “Groups of employees that decide to bargain collectively through majority vote for improvements in their jobs such as increases in wages, benefits, and better working conditions” (p. 123)
- General procedures
- Develop contract through negotiations with management binding management and labor
- Covers defined period
- Addresses issues such as due process, pay and benefits, grievance procedures, work hours, etc.
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #5: Unions
Criticisms
- Reduce the authority of the agency leader
- Example: Some contracts require chiefs/commissioners to consult with union before making policy decisions
- Indicate bad management practices
- If employees were well-treated, would there be a need for a union?
- Lack accountability
- May get a say in policy but are not elected or appointed (accountable to others) like agency leaders
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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Influence #5: Politics
- Elected/appointed status of many officials (e.g., sheriffs, judges, prosecutors, police chiefs)
- Must assure election/re-election
- Legislation
- New laws shape behavior of system actors; get tough legislation
- Budgetary decisions made by legislatures
- Funds affect programming
- Pressures by special interest groups
- MADD, victim advocate groups, etc.
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice Chapter 4: Environmental Influences
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