CJASGP
Administration and Management in Criminal Justice
Chapter 4:
Environmental Influences
Outline
Outline
1. Criminal justice organizations are open systems operating in a larger environment
a. Funding opportunities
b. Technological advancements
c. Cultural and demographic characteristics
d. Legal decisions
e. Unions and union negotiations
f. Political decisions
g. U.S. Supreme Court decisions (not addressed here)
h. Media (not addressed here)
2. Environmental influences
a. Funding: different methods of financially supporting criminal justice organizations and operations
i. Funding challenges
1. Funding for mandated activities or to enforce new laws
2. Limited resources
3. Agencies do not always receive full funding
ii. Funding sources
1. Government grants: research, demonstration, project, formula, and block grants
2. Foundations: non-profit, corporate
3. Private individuals
b. Technology:
i. Public demands to use technology
ii. Technological challenges
1. Well trained employees capable of using technology
2. Cost
3. Creates new forms of crime
c. Cultural and demographic characteristics
i. Demographics
1. Include characteristics of population (age, race, gender, etc.)
2. Can affect operations of system (predicting crime, hiring issues)
ii. Culture
1. Shared values, attitudes, purpose, and routines in society
2. Generates problems
a. Culture conflict
b. Culture gap
d. Legal pressures
i. Common law
ii. Statutory law
iii. Procedural law
iv. Case law
v. Civil law
vi. Administrative law
e. Unions
i. Defined: “Groups of employees that decide to bargain collectively through majority vote for improvements in their jobs such as increases in wages, benefits, and better working conditions” (p. 123)
ii. Procedures
iii. Criticisms
1. Reduce authority of agency heads
2. Indicate bad management practices
3. Lack accountability
f. Politics
i. Why are politics influential?
1. Many leaders are elected/appointed
2. Legislation
3. Budgetary decisions
4. Special interest groups
ii. Difficult to satisfy needs of all parties