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REFLECTION PAPER: CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS LEADERSHIPS
Reflection Paper: Administration of Justice Organizations Worldview
Maria Hensley
Liberty University
CJUS 520
Instructor Lisa Deese
January 30th, 2026
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REFLECTION PAPER: CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS LEADERSHIPS
Abstract
The administration of justice, established in 1764, is the process by which the legal system of a
government is executed and criminal justice organizations share a role in the legal system. The
idea behind this administration is to ensure there is justice for any person using the legal
system, and criminal justice organizations, such as correctional facilities, like state and federal
prisons, must have strong leadership to attempt a guarantee that this justice is provided.
Leadership inside any correctional facility is not an easy task, but even more so within the
prison systems. Politics and local politicians initiated criminal justice organizations with just
police forces, starting back in the mid 19th-century. It wasn’t until nearly eighty years later that a
Criminal Division of the Department of Justice was formally adopted to oversee criminal justice
organizations.
One of the main criminal organizations is the correctional systems. Leadership of correctional
officer’s focuses on modeling moral values such as integrity, fairness, and respect to foster a
safe, ethical, and rehabilitative environment. By acting as role models, leaders establish a
culture of trust and professionalism, moving away from punitive, fear-based methods toward,
transformational approach, using firm, fair, consistent, and accountable practices.
A morally run workplace in correctional settings with its leader at the helm can be a crucial
factor effectively reducing staff stress and assistance with the rehabilitation of inmates.
Leaders establish direction by developing a vision of the future, align people through shared
values and vision, and motivate and inspire people to move them toward the shared vision
(Kotter, 1990). This is why staff development is crucial in leader mentoring so, rather than
ignoring correction officer mistakes, they must enforce legal consequences for unlawful
misconduct so that less experienced officers follow the proper procedures while preventing
complacency. Since supervisors are responsible for training, they are accountable for their
own behavior and for fostering an environment where staff can learn from mistakes,
cultivating a workplace with integrity. With this accountability leaders are under pressure to
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REFLECTION PAPER: CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS LEADERSHIPS
establish zerotolerance policies for detention officer misconduct. For example: A detention
deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office was arrested and terminated after assaulting
an inmate he was watching in the hospital on December 01, 2025, following a five-week
investigation by Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. As a leader, Sheriff Gualtieri, knew his responsibility for
justice to the community was to execute a swift investigation into his subordinates conduct
and then taking immediate action, by charging and arresting his former employee with
criminal intentional battery. An innovative leadership idea would be transitioning
management, for all correctional facilities, over to private for-profit leadership to assist with
public prisons’ overcrowding problems. As of 2019–2022 data, around 8% or roughly
100,000 inmates of the total state and federal prison population are housed in privately
operated, for-profit facilities. A majority of these private prisons are used for federal
immigration detention, housing approximately 73% of the US’s federal immigrate detainees
(Home).
Administration of Justice Organizations Worldview
A prisons leaderships views, and goals, both short-term (utility savings) and long-term
(overcrowding) should be morally and ethically sound, focusing on inmate reform,
rehabilitation, the safety of staff, the well-being of inmates, integrity, accountability, efficiency
for prisoners and their families to communicate, and cost reduction implemented through
overages and unnecessary cost such as education, technology, and utilities (lower electricity
bills).
Administration of Justice: Leadership, Organizational Models, and Theory
Prison leadership role expectations, qualifications, experience, diversity, and moral track
record should not be altered…public or private-sectors.
Personal Worldview in the Context of the Administration of Justice A Biblical
worldview is the cornerstone of Christian teaching, moral values, concluding that leadership
issues are unchangeable whether a public or private-sector as long as you follow God’s words.
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REFLECTION PAPER: CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS LEADERSHIPS
The Bible calls for justice and care towards the less fortunate Isaiah 1:17 (NIV 2011). God had
a universal plan for humanity, and this plan did not include prejudices toward those outside or
inside one’s own group. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat… acts of service
Matthew 25:35-40 (NIV 2011). Private prisons, motivated by profit, known for set occupancy
numbers, falls short of these biblical mandates.
Conclusion
It is no secret that public prisons are known to be underfunded and overcrowded making
facilities unsafe and understaffed. This is why the impact of leadership on a correctional
organization is crucial to its long-term efficiency of operations. Yet, it continues to be an area in
which leadership in criminal justice is often neglected, but maybe to no fault of its leaders. With
prison and jail overcrowding, staffing shortages, turnovers, and the increasing numbers of
inmates with behavioral problems, leadership issues to meet the changing environmental
demands while maintaining a safe and clean environment can be somewhat understandable for
the cause of negligence. The United States correctional systems hold the highest rate of
offenders that are incarcerated, yet regardless of the different policies implemented from state
to state; our correctional system is facing an overall issue.
References
1.Home. Bureau of Justice Statistics. (n.d.). https://bjs.ojp.gov/
2.Montes, A. N. (2020). Ethical Concerns About Private (and Public) Corrections: Extending
the Focus Beyond Profit-Making and the Delegation of Punishment. Criminal Justice
Policy Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403419870851
3.New International Version (2011)
