How Changes To Organizational Missions In The Twenty-first Century, Have Altered Organizational Structures

M1D1: Challenges for Administrators

Textbook: Stojkovic, S., Kalinich, D., & Klofas, J. (2015) Criminal justice organizations: Adminstration and management (6th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Module 1: Overview & Outcomes

Overview

In this module you will learn the terms, precepts, and complexities surrounding criminal justice administration. Although substantial effort has been made to improve the quality of criminal justice services, under the broad rubric of administration and management, criminal justice administrators and managers are now required to include efficiency and effectiveness within their constrained budgets. To meet these challenges, criminal justice organizations, administrators, and leaders must learn, adopt, and practice many innovative approaches and best practices that combine theory, scientific evidence, and technological applications that are best suited for their complex goals, environment, and constituencies.

Module 1: Learning & Assessment Activities

During this module you will:

Read:

View:

  • Required
    • PowerPoint presentation:
    • Online video:
    • Module 1: Module Notes: The Administration of Criminal Justice Organizations
    • Criminal justice organizations in the twenty-first century face a unique set of challenges. There is an increasing demand to make public agencies more efficient and effective. Many criminal justice organizations have reduced budgets but are expected to achieve more measurable outcomes regarding their activities. The information revolution requires the proficient application of scientific approaches and evidence-based practices in the realm of criminal justice. This involves creating a new model for criminal justice administrators which emphasizes hard evidence and stronger accountability mechanisms for their organizations.
    • To understand these daunting issues, it is imperative that there is a clear understanding of the key terms and concepts forming the foundation of criminal justice administration, such as organizations and management. Organizations are created along three dimensions: structure, purpose, and activity. Organizations are managed through a process, but management functions are not limited to a specific office within an organization. Management is a process where elements of a group are coordinated, integrated, and utilized to effectively and efficiently achieve organizational objectives.
    • While good management is fundamentally important to all organizations, this component contains a critically important subset called leadership. The concept of leadership involves both organizational and individuals’ visions, motivation, and inspiration.
    • Key Learning Point: Think about how employing evidence standards and research information will potentially change the very nature of criminal justice practices, and how criminal justice administrators will have to change their practices as well.
    • Most criminal justice organizations operate within the context of the public domain. In general, they are regulated and directed by strict civil service protections and collective bargaining rules, some per union contracts. In order to clearly understand why some criminal justice organizations may be more responsive than others to their internal constituents and external environment, it is necessary to analyze and examine each organization within the context of open- and closed-system theories, also known as organic and mechanistic, respectively.
    • Finally, criminal justice organizations are influenced by many internal groups such as line personnel, support staff, and others. These internal groups have become more powerful over the years, but their power is now being challenged due to budgetary restraints and the many goals they must achieve within complex social, political, legal, procedural, regulatory, financial, and administratively driven public organizations. Criminal justice organizations are evaluated, in part, by the perceptions of what various the environments and constituents expect of them.
    • Reference
      Stojkovic, S., Kalinich, D., & Klofas, J. (2015). Criminal justice organizations: Adminstration and management (6th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

M1D1: Challenges for Administrators

The challenge facing criminal justice administrators and managers in the twenty-first century is how well they can address the changes in their missions, purposes, and operations due to the changes in the environment. The national mission of major law enforcement organizations, such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to protect citizens against terrorist attacks requires criminal justice agencies to assess their role in achieving this mission.

Local police departments must also rethink their roles in protecting their respective communities against terrorist attacks, while coordinating with the DHS with regards to mission, resources, management, leadership, and internal constituencies. For the criminal justice administrator and manager, the twenty-first century presents a far more complex environment when compared to the twentieth century. Organizations still attempting to operate according to traditional management and administration methods may fall behind, as changing goals and environments outpace the technology and resources available to criminal justice administrators, particularly at the state and local level.

After reviewing the assignments, module notes, PowerPoint presentation, and video on the Learning & Assessment Activities page, you will have a better understanding of the complex challenges facing twenty-first century criminal justice administrations.

For this discussion, address the following question:

  • From a criminal justice administration perspective, discuss how changes to organizational missions in the twenty-first century, have altered organizational structures and constituencies in such a way that traditional methods of management and administration are no longer sufficient or effective? Give specific examples and citations to support your conclusions.

Evaluation Criteria

Post must be 200 words in APA format including in-text citations and references pertaining to textbook, module readings, and/or additional outside resources. Please reference and cite your readings and viewings in support of your responses

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