Policy Making and Analysis in Criminal Justice

Policy Making and Analysis in Criminal Justice

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Policy Making and Analysis in Criminal Justice

Policy making is the process whereby a specific program consisting of specific objectives and the means and mechanisms to achieve them are stipulated. It’s a decision making framework that enables an institution to achieve its outlined objectives. The criminal justice system is often a complex system that facilitates the provision of justice to the individuals of different countries. It involves a complex process from the conduction of the crime to the moment of release from the correction center. In most countries, policies in the criminal justice system are made by the government or a part of the government most commonly the judicial system. In most public sectors the policies are made and enacted to support certain political ideologies in the system.

In my view, good policies should express standard expectations and required behaviors, they also should be visionary and specific to the issue that needs to be addressed. Also, they should be guided with specific principles and directions. There are several theories regarding the process of policy making in a criminal justice system, these include to begin with the pluralist theory. This theory regards the policy making system as an open process to the majority and thus the policy will be made by the majority within that judicial institution. Next is the power elite theory whereby a given specific group of people who have the most information on the subject matter at hand make the decision to be taken up by other personnel. Third is the Public choice theory. In this theory, the market makes the choices with respect to the amount of competition at present. Also, there is the bureaucratic theory in which only those with expertise make the decisions.

The policy making process in a criminal justice system involves five major steps that are conducted sequentially to allow for the formation of the proposed policy. These steps have to be addressed in equal perspective to enable the success of the policy making process. The first step is the identification of the agenda and agenda setting. This is the process whereby the problem at hand is identified and the arising issues noted. These are then discussed and a final set of the most important issues raised are then taken to the next step. The next step involves policy formulation. This is whereby possible solutions to the identified problems are listed and analyzed. This is then followed by policy adoption and legitimization. In this step, the solution that had been suggested in the previous step is adopted preliminarily and if it succeeds, it’s then legitimized into an action.

The fourth step is the policy implementation. Here, the policy in making is implemented into the system to determine how effective it is within the system and whether it will work if set in place within the criminal justice system. This often happens after the law has been passed. The final step is policy evaluation and assessment. This step is involved with the assessment of the outcomes of the policy, both the negative and the positive effects brought about by the implemented policy.

Policy analysis is the process whereby existing policies are assessed and evaluated to determine their relevance and effectiveness. Analysis can also be done on a newly implemented policy to assess the effectiveness of the policy and if it will work and correct the issue for which it was created. In the public systems such as the government, judiciary and institution, this process is mainly done by the policy makers of the institution that mainly involve the top leadership positions. The importance of policy analysis is that it enables people to determine whether they are moving toward a given direction or whether they are remaining stagnant. It also shows the involved parties whether the goals they set are being achieved and if further reforms need to e done to enable them to achieve their set goals. It is therefore a system that has to be implemented in any criminal justice system to enable them to work toward their stipulated goals.

Examples of criminal justice policies include the drug and substance abuse policy, the victim assistance policy, the juvenile justice and prevention of juvenile crime and delinquency policy and the fear and violence policy in the communities. The drug and substance abuse policy is involved with ensuring the reduction to the access of illicit drugs and excessive alcohol. The policy makers involved work together with the healthcare personnel to address matters pertaining to drug abuse through specific rehabilitation programs.

Victim assistance policy is tasked with ensuring the victims of crime are protected from intimidation and are treated with fairness, dignity and respect during the criminal justice process. This also protects them from an attack by their offenders. The Juvenile justice and prevention of juvenile crime and delinquency policy is involved with ensuring justice among the juvenile population and ensuring good behaviors are instilled in the teenagers and young adults and even children.

References

Barton, A., & Johns, N. (2013). The Policy Making Process in the Criminal Justice System. Routledge.

Houston, J., Bridgmon , P., & Parsons, W. (2008). Criminal Justice and the Policy Process. University Press of America.

Ismaili, K. (2006). Contextualizing the Criminal Justice Policy Making Process. Criminal Justice Policy, 255-269.

Welsh , W., & Harris, P. (2016). Criminal Justice Policy and Planning:Planned Change. Routledge.