Performance management includes a set of activities that ensure a project’s goals are met consistently, effectively and efficiently. Performance management uses tools such as logic models and performance measurement and project evaluation (Tatian, 2016) . A logic model is a framework used to identify resources, activities, outputs, customers and outcomes in a program or a project. It is used by managers and program funders to evaluate how effective a program is. They are also used planning and implementation processes of a project planning and implementation. It is a representation of the efforts and initiatives used in a project are supposed to work and it explains how the strategy used is a better solution than the problems the project might go through (Besharov,& Call,2016) . This paper will identify a local government agency, identify its mission statement, choose a program administered by the agency and then create a logic model for the program to identify if the agency has achieved its mission statement.
A local government agency is an organization, either permanent or semi-permanent, that works for the government in overseeing administration of specific functions. An example of a local government agency is the intelligence agency. The local government agency chosen for this paper is criminal division. The mission statement of this local government agency is, to serve the public interests through the enforcement of criminal statutes in a vigorous, fair and effective manner and to exercise general supervision over the enforcement of all federal criminal laws, with the exceptions of those statutes specifically assigned to the antitrust, civil right, environment and natural resources or tax divisions (Organization, Mission and Functions Manual: Criminal Division | DOJ | Department of Justice. 2017). One of the programs administered by criminal division is safe neighborhood program. Its mission statement is to reduce gun crime through networking with the local programs that target gun crime in order to provide programs with special tools to fit the problems associated with the crime in each area.
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Logic model for criminal division
|
problem |
Activities |
Goals |
objectives |
Output measures |
Outcomes |
|
| high level of gun violence, gun violence administered by felons, |
direct police patrols in areas with gun violence home patrol visits by police on probation arresting felons with ownership of firearms charges prosecute felons charged with firearm possession communicate strategies during parole meetings put up billboards and other posters for awareness |
To reduce the level of gun violence in each state as well as reduce victimization by the same | To reduce the number of felons in possession with firearms and guns |
increased police patrols to gunshots hotspots compliance check for police put on probation and patrols increased number of felons charges with possession of firearms state prosecutions top felons charged with ownership and possession of firearms police put on probation and patrol activities reporting to call in meeting A large number of billboards and posters put up. |
Short term reduced gunshots in hotspots where police have patrolled Felons to confirm that there is an increased likelihood of being arrested and prosecuted once charged with gun possession and ownership. |
Long term Reduction in jurisdiction cases concerned with gun crime Reduced trauma by gunshot victims and more peaceful neighborhoods A decrease in the proportion of felony arrests that involve possession of guns and firearms. |
The goal of criminal division is to serve the public by enforcing laws in a fair and effective manner. The program named safe neighborhoods aims at reducing gun violence and the victimization it causes. The logic model above shows that the agency and the program meet their mission statements.
This is because the main goal of any justice administration agency is to administer effective, efficiency and fair laws that are aimed at helping the citizens. Efficiency refers to application of the available resources in an economical way in order to accomplish and implement statutory goals for the sake of improving public safety. Effectiveness means administering these laws in a fair and just manner in regard to constitutional protections that are offered to offenders while still observing public safety. It also means handling equal offenders in an equal manner looking at all relevant legal factors concerned with conviction (Atkinson, 2017) . The above mentioned factors are the ones that guide performance measuring according to Hatry in the book of performance measurement.
The missions of both criminal division and its program, safe neighborhoods have been met because they have both met performance measurement requirement. First, safe neighborhoods identified and stated the problem which is gun violence. This problem affects a considerable number of people in almost all states and this made it a very convenient target. The program then set goals to reduce the number of felons charged with gun possessions after carrying out all the activities allocated to different authorities (Besharov, & Call, 2016) . In the end, the outcomes from the logic model clearly show that they were able to achieve their stated goal. Secondly, criminal division has the goal of administering justice and their program ensured that justice was administered in a just and fair manner.
In conclusion, the logic model developed for safe neighborhoods, a program by criminal division agency illustrates very clearly how well the project’s performance measures relate to the problem at hand, goals and objectives and the outcomes. In addition, the agency’s mission statement meets the program’s mission because justice is administered to felons charged with possession of firearms and guns in an effective, efficient and fair manner with an aim of increasing public safety.
References
Atkinson, C. L. (2017). Performance Management for Learning, Reform, and Change: A Review of Three Recent Books.
Besharov, D. J., & Call, D. M. (2016). USING LOGIC MODELS TO STRENGTHEN PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT. Improving Public Services: International Experiences in Using Evaluation Tools to Measure Program Performance , 303.
Organization, Mission and Functions Manual: Criminal Division | DOJ | Department of Justice . (2017). Justice.gov . Retrieved 21 May 2017, from https://www.justice.gov/jmd/organization-mission-and-functions-manual-criminal-division
Tatian, P. A. (2016). Performance Measurement to Evaluation. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. http://www. urban. org/research/publication/performance-measurement-evaluation-0 , 2100 .
