18 Jan 2023

162

Opportunities for Improving the Criminal Justice System

Format: APA

Academic level: Master’s

Paper type: Research Paper

Words: 1147

Pages: 4

Downloads: 0

The Criminal justice system in American is an organization mandated to enforce the law. It is influenced by strengths, opportunities, and weaknesses, which have helped shape how it runs its duties. This American criminal justice system's significant strengths are accreditation, modern technology application, liaison between different agencies, and improvement in investigations practices. These dynamics are crucial in facilitating how policing activities are conducted in America. Apart from that, the criminal justice system is characterized by several opportunities that require improvement, especially in human resources. Change in the organizational structure and the selection process need to be transformed to allow the criminal justice system to reach its desired potential to implement policing activities. The American judicial justice should focus on the development of the human resource to remain relevant, effective and efficient in service delivery. Substantial reforms in the American criminal justice system have led to the realization of effective policing in the country. One of the major strengths is accreditation in public information. Accreditation has resulted in transparency in police culture. Law enforcers in the U.S. seek endorsement from the public as a guide towards the improvement of service delivery. The premise for the accreditation is based on support from the community. The initiative has resulted in better relationships between the community and law enforcers. The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) advocates that law enforcers need to involve media and members of the public in the decision-making and formulation of laws ( Parry & Richardson, 2013) . The certification process emphasizes the critical function of public information, and therefore, it has resulted in professional standards of conduct from law enforcers. The utilization of modern technology has also improved the efficacy of criminal justice enforcers. Rapid changes in technology have boosted all aspects of policing, including how agencies communicate. Currently, complexities in communication have been reduced by technology through improving both internal and external communication ( Schafer, 2007) . Developments in advanced communication gadgets such as cell phones and intranet have enhanced day-to-day interactions between law enforcement members and the public. Notably, wireless technology has enabled law enforcers to increase the speed at which they access information and respond to community issues. Video conferencing, e-mail and hand-held devices, and intranet systems increase the consistency and speed of material distribution used to collect evidence and investigation across geographical locations. The American criminal system is also characterized by liaison between agencies. Police departments have established and maintained communications and liaisons with various agencies involved in resolving crime incidents ( Neubauer & Fradella, 2018) . The connections have allowed officers to complete their job effectively, command each agency's responsibilities, and identify the duties that could be done by different agencies. The policing unit has realized tremendous achievements in education. Since the 1970s, federal funding sponsorships have assisted police officers in pursuing programs on the criminal justice system ( Schafer, 2007) . Education has led to law enforcers who can handle crime-related issues more professionally than in the past. Categorizing criminal degree programs into liberal arts, professional, and vocational has led to better-educated police within the policing circle. Education has played an important in the realization of increased professionalism, independent-problem solving, stronger community relations, and a better pool of police candidates. Investigation in criminal justice has also improved tremendously. Due to the evolution in technology, the basics of conducting investigations have transformed due to new tools' availability. Contemporary criminal investigation processes are different from those of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s due to modern technology in forensics. Modern investigations have been enhanced due to the emergence of personal computers, the internet, and cell phones. The information systems have fostered improvements in the accuracy and efficiency of the investigation process in America. American criminal justice system performance requires opportunities for improvement in human personnel areas. One of the changes needed amendment on the recruitment and selection process for the criminal justice system personnel. Recruitment and selection for a long time were based on an individual's physical fitness without considering important factors such as interests in policing field and individual ability to contribute to team dynamics in the agency (Smykla et al. 2016) . Agencies need to engage in recruiting personnel who are forward thinkers, willing to take calculated risks, and have strategic leadership abilities. The selection process should be based on a series of interviews to enable the panel to get the best individuals in policing agency. The decision facilitates the criminal justice system's development with flexible, dynamic, energetic, and motivated individuals. Another opportunity for improvement is leadership development. Many agencies currently select leaders who are not competent as such due to basing majorly on one’s height. The criminal justice department needs to nurture and develop professionals by using modern career development plans. Putting in place mentorship programs will result in police executives' development to address dynamics in policing issues affecting society ( Neubauer & Fradella, 2018). Leadership development allows for the realization of policing personnel with a broader understanding of economic growth, politics, and demographic changes. Change in organizational structure is also an improvement needed in the criminal justice system. Various policing agencies should consider utilizing continuous quality improvement models, team-oriented techniques, and line-empowerment to broaden their range of experiences in the criminal justice system ( Parry & Richardson, 2013) . Encouraging internal and external networking by agency staff and civilians will facilitate a netcentric criminal justice approach. This mechanism fosters better performance in the criminal justice system due to developed alliances between policing agencies and members of the public. The policing system is affected by several limitations that have hindered it from recording better performance. The agencies are affected negatively by how personnel promotions are done. The criminal justice system engages only in internal promotions, a challenge that has resulted in limiting officers from excelling. Most promotions are done based on the personnel's seniority rather than potential and performance ( Schafer, 2007) . This limitation has brought serious challenges to unionized agencies. The mode of promotions has also resulted in increased mediocrity in the police service. For instance, the employees are forced to find how they can receive promotion thus, engaging in vices such as corruption. The main incentive that has contributed to dubious methods of promotion is an increment in salaries. Ethical problems are another threat facing the criminal justice system in the U.S. Unprofessional demeanor and immature behavior will continue to affect law enforcement professionals. The institution lacks an accountability mechanism, a challenge that will continue affecting criminal justice functionality ( Smykla et al., 2016) . Ethical issues are prevented most law enforcers from working within the stipulations of the law. Resistance to change also influences the roles of the criminal justice department. Most line officers and their leaders view the policing job as a semi-skilled blue-collar occupation ( Schafer, 2007) . The cynicism has made most police officers engage in conflicts with management due to the discomfort they associate with the change, thus making the criminal justice system a problematic occupation. Resistance to change has led to stagnant policing agencies and the emergence of reluctant workers to perform their duties. 

Conclusion 

Current practices, opportunities for improvement, and human capital weaknesses in the U.S. criminal justice system serve as the premise needed for change to remain relevant for the sector. Human capital development is essential in realizing policing systems that can adapt to constant changes in technology. The current competence to perform exceptionally in the criminal justice system might not be useful to all law enforcers, considering the human resource department is experiencing resistance to change and promoting seniority rather than experience. Criminal justice agencies need to foster a workforce with practical leadership skills and change how the policing structure operates. 

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References 

Neubauer, D. W., & Fradella, H. F. (2018).  America's courts and the criminal justice system . Cengage Learning. 

Parry, J. T., & Richardson, L. S. (Eds.). (2013). T he constitution and the future of criminal justice in America . Cambridge University Press. 

Schafer, J. A. (Ed.). (2007).  Policing 2020: Exploring the future of crime, communities, and policing . US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Smykla, J. O., Crow, M. S., Crichlow, V. J., & Snyder, J. A. (2016). Police body-worn cameras: Perceptions of law enforcement leadership.  American Journal of Criminal Justice 41 (3), 424-443. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-015-9316-4 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 15). Opportunities for Improving the Criminal Justice System.
https://studybounty.com/opportunities-for-improving-the-criminal-justice-system-research-paper

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