Criminal Justice Leadership Analysis

Leadership in law enforcement is unlike leadership in any other profession. There are a few similarities in which can be compared to other professions, this is the case as law enforcements leadership has consequences on a scale that can not only damage public trust and support, it may well also violate or restrict the rights that American citizens value.

Since the beginning of time, the major obstacles facing the Criminal Justice system have been how it can be continually improved and expanded upon, and if the changes were beneficial. Determining what works, what does not, and how to fix what is not working are not as easy as it would seem. It is also important to gauge how it will affect the public, and how the changes will be received.

Before proposing a reform to the American criminal justice system, we must first examine the problems that plague the process of justice on all levels. American society plays an important role in shaping the criminal justice system. Their beliefs and values determine the type of deviants and the consequences of the crimes. Often their beliefs contradict each other.

Integrity and honor, servanthood, mentorship, professionalism, positive attitude, reinforcement and accountability, and proactive communication is what Jack E. Enter P.h. D states is the seven laws of leadership in his book, “Challenging the Law Enforcement Organization; Proactive Leadership Strategies.” Enter indicates the purpose of this book is to develop leaders whom are abnormal and different from most. This book identifies poor and successful leadership traits based on Enter’s education, his personal experiences in law enforcement, teaching, and from his personal life.

Toxic leadership, likely found in all agencies at some point, and the general awareness of toxic leaders with whom individual officers have worked, makes this a real problem for law enforcement agencies. Knowing the root and cause of this type of leadership helps develop understanding on the part of those that can effect a change in leadership within an agency. Comprehending the methods by which such environments develop and their negative impact on the agency as a whole - via individual officers’ experiences, opens the doors on hidden collusion that destroy morale.

Therefore, a leader must be very apt to understand human nature and know his surroundings, including the types of environment and individuals within an entire criminal justice organization. However, leaders in criminal justice organizations have many limitations. oftentimes, leaders are faced with critical situations such as riots and protests, which require for them to justify their actions in front of the umbrella incorporated media. The literature of leadership in criminal justice organizations is rather prescriptive (Stojkovic et al., 2015).

If you look from the beginning of this semester everything we once saw as something change to something else. What we know, though or learn change through time. What surprise did we learn from the criminal justice’s system? From the surprises, what can change to help improve even in the tiniest way. Did our perception of crime change overtime or did it stay the same? We will now go on to answer each question from our perspective.

Law enforcement officers often times by their nature are leaders. In choosing the careers they do many law enforcement personnel take it upon themselves to be placed in a situation of leadership. A good example of this just by putting on the uniform and badge that individual regardless of background will be looked to take control of a crisis situation and in turn be a leader to many of the society they swear to protect. This does not mean law enforcement personnel are all qualified to be leaders within any organization or a law enforcement

The criminal justice administration today faces various issues and problems thus needing serious reforms. In most cases, many nonviolent offenders go to jail because many prosecutors and district attorneys succumb to political pressure hence become tough on crime. The prisons are always populated and there are minimal resources to ensure there are significant improvements in the system. Some of the key issues facing Criminal justice department today include; wrongful convictions, gangs, racial injustices in the administration, excessive criminalization, socio economic considerations, and problems with

With all of the temptation, attempts to fit into a subculture, and desire to please superiors, mentoring younger officers becomes extremely important. Mentoring can either allow corruption to spread, or it can be also be nipped in the bud. With these issues at hand, it is important that law enforcement agencies invest in upstanding supervisors and leaders in their departments because according to statistics, leaders have a significant impact in preventing corruption and therefore play a significant role in the agencies in which they serve. Therefore, it becomes imperative that effective leaders – who share the same goals – be in place to set the standard for subordinates to see and emulate (Martin 2011). However; while leaders certainly play a critical role in forming the future leaders and overall atmosphere of the organization, they alone cannot ensure that high levels

The book “Out-of-Control Criminal Justice” highlights how the criminal justice system is out of control. Daniel Mears, the author of the book, uses a research-based strategy to show the perceptions of people who work or have been affected by the criminal justice system. This book is a valuable read and a brilliant resource for students and criminal justice enthusiasts who are interested in how the criminal justice system works. The book gives a list of comprehensive problems that are plaguing the system. The book then offers ample strategies on how these problems can be controlled to increase justice, accountability and reduce crimes at a less cost. The strategies include greater responsiveness to victims of crimes, understanding the consequences

1. Explain, in your words, why the ability to lead is an important aspect in any police officer. (minimum 250 words)

Leadership is an important concept for the police administrator to understand furthermore leadership is crucial in the police field (Cordner, 2016). There are several functions that leaders perform, many ways they go about implementing them, and a few theories about which ways are the best. According to Toor & Ofori (2008), the first step in differentiating the two concepts is through the definitions. Toor & Okori (2008) define leadership as the process of guiding, “with reference to action and opinion; to bring by persuasion or counsel to or into a condition; to conduct by argument or representation to a conclusion; to induce to do something” (p. 64). Management is defined as, “organization, supervision, or direction; the application of skill or care in the manipulation, use, treatment, or control (of a thing or person), or in the conduct of something” (Toor & Okori, 2008). Some of the essential functions associated with management include planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and budgeting. Many police organizations perform a variety if not all the functions. It is the manager’s primary role to ensure that the department achieves its objectives as well as abides by the law, and it is principal in its community (Cordner,

Leadership plays an important role in the dynamic of a workplace and can affect the behavior of everyone within the organization. A poor leader within a law enforcement agency can negatively affect the officers in the department as well as the individual units within the department. The KCKPD SCORE unit was a specialized unit given a rather good amount of freedom and power and that ultimately lead to corrupt thinking and actions by the officers. Strong leadership isn’t just about making the tough decisions, leadership is about teaching and setting a strong example of behavior and thinking. The KCKPD unfortunately failed their officers and Bell, Forrest, and Sillings really could have benefited greatly from that leadership.

Throughout history, the criminal justice has had different ideologies. Back when the first Americans settled their system was based on Mens Reas (guilty mind) and now it is based on the mindset of “get tough on crime” (The Evolution, n.d, para. 3 and 8). As the ideologies of this system have changed, the purpose has remained the same. The purpose is to control crime and to penalize the guilty. Flaws can often be found in this system, especially if they accuse someone of a wrong crime, don’t give them a fair trial, people plead guilty because they cannot make bail, and so on (Johnson, 2014, para. 7). Through these flaws, people view this system as being corrupt and ultimately end up not believing in the system. The criminal justice system plays a vital role in our country today and it needs help to not follow along the path of corruption.