Sample Criminal Justice Essay

Question

As a policy maker it is important to understand your role in relation to the state of criminal justice affairs, the civilian population, and budgetary issues. How do these inform decision making about U.S. CRJS system policy? When examining the criminal justice policy institutes via a quick web search, how do they seem to be disseminating information and effecting policy? What are potential benefits and criticisms of their approaches?

For this Assignment, you identify existing criminal justice policy institutes or agencies. Consider how they impact policy.

Identify two U.S. criminal justice system policy development agencies, and explain how they relay information to policy makers. Explain how their actions directly affect policies. Explain possible challenges these agencies face when getting involved in the criminal justice policy discussion. Critically evaluate the cost-benefit of the agencies’ approaches to policy implementation and changes.

Answer

Communication between policymakers and policy development agencies

The U.S. Criminal Justice System is the process used in the implementation of accepted principles of behavior that are required to safeguard people and their society (President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1967). It is where the police service, correctional agencies, and the judiciary work together to ensure criminal justice is served to all its citizen (Walker, 1992). This paper aims at looking at challenges in relaying research information between Policy development agencies and the policymakers and these affect the policies made. It is through the research evidence provided by the agencies that the policymakers can make informed decisions.

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There are a variety of strategies to relay information between these two parties such as research papers and publications, written theoretical views, oral presentations and electronic and web-based media among others (Lavis, et al. 2003). Despite this, a lot of these agencies still face other challenges in getting their research findings incorporated in decision making by the policymakers. First, communicating their findings in a way or language that can be understood by the policymakers is a major challenge. Most of the research findings are not relayed in actionable messages that can be put to practice by nonacademic audiences.

Another challenge is timing. Policymakers and the agencies have conflicting priorities. Policymakers do not hold office for long while a research process and developing findings takes years, therefore, policymakers may decide not to pursue a research before making a decision. The research process is considered out of step with the decision-making process (Craig, et al, 2007). In conclusion, these challenges have reduced the chances for there being any information or thought trade which otherwise would lead to better understanding of a policy and its effect on society based on presented research findings and analysis.

References

Craig, M., Adair, C. E., McKenzie, E., Patten, S.B., & Waye Perry B., (2007). Knowledge transfer and exchange: Review and synthesis of the literature. Milbank Quarterly 85(4), 729-68.

Lavis, J. N., Robertson, D., Woodside, M. J., McLeod, B. C., & Abelson, J., (2003). How can research organizations more effectively transfer research knowledge to decision makers? Milbank Quarterly 81(2), 221-48.

President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice. (1967). The challenge of crime in a free society. US Government Printing Office.

Walker, S. (1992). Origins of the contemporary criminal justice paradigm: The American bar foundation survey. Justice Quarterly. 9(1), 109-119.