Criminal Justice Policy Process

Criminal Justice Policy Process

 The society often experiences criminal issues that need immediate attention, and thus the improvement of criminal justice policy helps in addressing the identified problem. Criminal justice policy leads to reforms in the criminal justice system as well as reducing the rate of crime and recidivism (Ismaili, 2011). Several actors participate directly or indirectly in the policymaking process, and they include members of the society and special interest groups. Their responsibility is to develop and implement criminal justice policy as the overall outcome of the policy affects them in one way or another. If one of the policymaking processes is ineffective, the implemented policy will not have achieved its desired goals. Consequently, it is critical to ensure that the criminal justice policy goes through the processes, and the responsible actors are cautious of their actions. The paper highlights the key actors involved in the criminal justice policy process, as well as the steps involved and the possible suggestions on improving the process.

Each step of policymaking involves relevant actors influencing the process, which comprise of six steps. According to Cochran et al. (2015), it is essential to identify the specific issue before the development of policy. The concerned citizens, advocating groups, the media, and politicians can help in the identification of the problem that requires immediate attention. For example, some of the issues affecting the community may include increasing crime rates, concern for counseling services for prisoners, and residency for ex-convicts. After the identification of the issue, it is essential to assess the policy demands, and it entails highlighting the goal of the policy. For example, if the identified problem is an increasing rate of crime in the community, then the objective of the policy will be to improve the safety of the community.  Another option can be to increase punishments for the offender and deter them from criminal activities.

The next step is to the formation of the agenda, and it involves incorporating different opinions from the stakeholders who are likely to be affected by the policy. Government officials, the public, and special interest groups want the policymakers to listen to their ideas and utilize them in the policymaking process, and this can be quite challenging (Cochran et al., 2015). The next stages are the adoption and implementation of the policy, and they are also crucial. The nature of the policy determines the actions involved in this stage. The policy could either be the signing of executive orders or a new law for its use in addressing the identified issue. The policy goes through the political process before its adoption.  Politicians review several policy proposals and thus the need to avail the policy to the public, the politicians, and social interest groups. They have a significant influence on the possibilities of the policy to become a law.

The implementation of the policy comprises of various activities that including spending the allocated resources such as money on hiring more police to enhance security in the community (Cochran et al., 2015). It is essential to note that the implementation stage is the most critical step in the policy implementation process. Ineffective implementations can create more significant challenges that can affect the outcome of the set policy goals. For instance, the available resources may not be sufficient to implement the policy due to corruption and mismanagement of funds, thereby leading to the policy not being implemented. If the policy has been effectively implemented, then the final step is the evaluation of policy.

An approved policy becomes an integral part of the criminal justice process. Therefore, law enforcement will ensure that they enhance the security of the community by increasing the presence of police officers to reduce the rate of crime in the community. The evaluation stage entails assessing the efficiency of the policy (Cochran et al., 2015). It is at this stage that policymakers determine whether the implemented policy accomplished the set goals as well as its impacts. Therefore, policy evaluation comprises process and outcome evaluation. During process evaluation, policymakers assess the progression of the experience in policy development. They have to identify not only the areas that need improvement but also the differences in the policy with the original intentions and the possible solutions to achieve the set goals. Also, during outcome evaluation, policymakers assess the changes that occur due to the implementation of the policy (Gies et al., 2015). For example, when there is a need for ensuring security, the policymakers can assess if the increased number of police officers in the community has reduced the reported incidents of criminal activities. Therefore, evaluation is also an essential stage of the policymaking process as it helps in identifying the change that has been produced as a result of the policy and the reasons why the changes occurred.

It is crucial to ensure that the policy meets the set goals and thus reducing the possibility of spending time and resources in the policymaking process. Therefore, there is a need to improve the process while considering specific aspects of the steps in the policymaking process. For example, having relevant information on the issue affecting the community is crucial before the formation of policy agenda. For example, the integration of technology into the criminal justice system can help in gathering relevant information about specific issues. However, Gies et al. (2015) emphasize that several factors have to be considered before the adoption of the technology. These factors include the relative advantage, compatibility, complexity. Technology will enable policymakers to obtain sufficient information on the decision made before policy adoption.

The policymakers can also use technology in community policing to reduce the crime rate, which is the primary goal of the proposed policy. Policymakers will identify specific issues that they can prioritize and get feedback from the public and other stakeholders during the agenda formation. Policymakers should also realize that some of the problems that they try to solve, such as increased crime rate, are public health concerns (DeLone & DeLone, 2010). Therefore, it is essential to analyze various measures that they can take to improve the well-being of the community members. Policymakers must ensure that the resources are sufficient to implement the policy as it will increase the possibility of attaining the desired outcomes. Policymakers should also use appropriate measures and indicators during policy evaluation to determine if the implemented policy will lead to the achievement of the set goals (Vedung, 2017). Several factors may also affect the outcome of the policy and thus the need for policymakers to identify the changes in the environment and assess their potential impacts on policy outcomes.