After the tragic 9/11, the US declared a global war on terror targeting all those who plan terror attacks against the US and its citizens. This declaration of war has had several impacts on the US criminal justice system in a number of ways. According to Stojkovic, Kalinich and Klofas (2014), the first impact has been on the structure and operations of the criminal justice organizations. They have had to change their operational strategies and practices in order to be able to effectively and swiftly respond to the constant terror threats.
Further, the war on terror has affected the law enforcement practices by imposing economic, demographic, cultural, ecological and political conditions on the criminal justice law enforcement that seeks to enable them to be able to respond to terror attacks. The organizational response of the criminal justice organizations to terrorism has changed with the declaration of the war on terror. Moreover, the war on terror has had implications on the administration of criminal justice organizations and their practices. It has transformed the law enforcement environment.
Moreover, the war on terror according to Stojkovic, Kalinich and Klofas (2014), the war on terror has led to the militarization of the law enforcement police forces. Hence, most law enforcement practices are now more of part and parcel of the military in terms of practices and operations. Additionally, the war on terror has had technological impacts on the law enforcement in that most criminal justice organizations now apply technology widely to improve their preparedness and response to terror alerts on attacks. The culture of law enforcement has also changed in order to help law enforcement officers to face today’s terrorism threats. The war on terror has also affected certain practices of law enforcement such as community policing which is now given more weight in order to involve the community in safety and security.
References
Stojkovic, S., Kalinich, D., & Klofas, J. (2014). The criminal justice system in its environment. In S. Stojkovic, D. Kalinich, & J. Klofas, Criminal justice organizations: Administration and management (pp. 51-90). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
