Criminal justice is one of the most important aspects on today’s political and social agendas of the United States of America. The practice shows that the American criminal justice system in general and the law enforcement framework in particular is one of the most effective and productive in the world (McElreath, p. 98). Statistically, the ratio of successfully investigated crimes is somewhat higher than in the majority of Asian countries, much higher than in Africa and goes on a par with the European countries. Yet, our world is dynamically changes. Thus, organizational systems, as well as organizational behavior of the United States criminal justice require being constantly analyzed and updated. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore the forces of change and approaches, which are used to manage organizational improvements of the criminal justice agencies.
Social, political and organizational behaviors and criminal justice
Criminal justice is particularly vulnerable to various social, political and organizational behavioral patterns. Any changes in these systems lead to the mutations of the criminal justice agencies, their cultures and structures.
Thus, social attitudes to the effectiveness of police work are the first important determinant in this regard. When the community is responsive to police work and willingly cooperate with the police agencies, the law enforcement authorities adapt their working patterns accordingly. In particular, the criminal justice organizations become more ‘open’ and strongly rely on the societal contributions. In practice, the agencies may expect to attract the best graduates, who will start considering a law enforcement career as an attractive option. In contrast, when the community disapproves law enforcement policies, the criminal justice system becomes reliant on its internal resources.
Politically, the criminal justice agencies are very dependent on the political will of the Congress and the Administration. It is they, who define the budget, the priorities and the methods of police work to ensure that they correspond to the will of American nation.
Finally, organizational behavior of the criminal justice is an essential determinant of its agencies (Robbins, p. 43). On micro-level, it defines how the individuals within the organization interact with each other. On meso and macro levels, it determines how the groups and the organizations behave respectively. It is natural that these issues affect the structure of its agencies, because the Department of Justice seeks to develop the most optimal structure to take all behavioral issues into consideration.
The relationship between organizational behavior and organizational system
Organizational systems in the criminal justice area are affected by organizational behavior in three major dimensions (Robbins, p. 71). In particular, reciprocity, positivity and group belonging influence the development of this system.
Firstly, the criminal justice practitioners expect some form or reciprocity from the organization. In other words, for devoting their time, knowledge and resources, these people should receive some benefits from their respective agencies. Secondly, positivity means that these professionals are expected to work in a positive environment. Finally, the aspect of group belonging emphasizes the importance of feeling oneself as a part of the system.
Managing perceptions of the organization’s shareholders – methods and techniques
In order to influence the perceptions of organizational shareholders several methods are available.
Firstly, the criminal justice system should regularly raise public awareness about its mission, vision, goals and objectives. This will help to mitigate negative impacts associated with routine police work, such as huge budget spending, restrictions of the human rights, especially in the light of the Homeland Security Act and some others. Thus, maintaining strong public relations department is highly important in this context. Secondly, though it should keep its methods secreted, the activities of the criminal justice system should be transparent, so that the stakeholders may see that the system works for benefit of the public. Lastly, the criminal justice agencies should apply various motivational methodologies to keep its personnel effective.
Observable aspects of the organizational culture of criminal justice agencies
Organizations culture of criminal justice system of the USA has several unique features. These features determine how it differs from other organizational cultures.
Firstly, the criminal justice system of the USA is very selective. It accepts the new members on the basis of exceptional academic record, suitable psychological profile, high ethical and professional integrity. Secondly, it is a closed community, which always prioritizes the interest of its members. The Department of Justice strives to lobby competitive salaries and other social guarantees for its workers. Finally, the criminal justice communities are very conservative. Their conservatism is observable in many aspects, including dress code, communication style and values. Yet, they are progressive in technological context, always trying to get the best equipment and specialists.
Change management strategies and improvement of the criminal justice system
Our world is dynamically developing nowadays in social, political and technological segments. As discussed before, the changes in these systems have a tremendous impact on the criminal justice. Tried-and-true change management strategies may be applied to improve the system of criminal justice in the following areas:
They should be used to bring the most advanced technological solutions to facilitate implementation of the criminal justice policies. The crime has become egregiously sophisticated, and the law enforcement has to develop adequate resources.
Using these strategies and methods may be successful in harmonizing the methods of law enforcement work with the expectations and priorities of the community.
In order to apply change management strategies, it is important to understand which strategies were effective in other social dimensions. Once the most effective methods are diagnosed, it is possible to use them in the criminal justice area.
Works Cited
McElreath, David. Introduction in law enforcement. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2013. Print.
Robbins, Stephen P. Organizational behaviour. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Ptr, 2004. Print.
