Free Essay on Leadership in Criminal Justice Organizations

Criminal justice agencies are a composition of courts, law enforcement officers, law rims and the corrections department. All the above mentioned department have a critical role to play in the management of law and order in society. It is highly important that leaders of these organizations should have the capacity to deal with the issues that crop up almost on a daily basis. This paper will look into the challenges experienced by leaders in criminal justice organizations and how they work hand in hand with their teams to handle these challenges (Haugen & Musser, 2009). In many cases, these challenges include corruption, communication breakdown among team members, conflict among employees and political influence in the activities of criminal justice organizations.

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Criminal justice organizations are faced with the challenges of noble cause corruption. Noble corruption is a situation that a criminal justice agency decides to take certain abrasive measures that put criminals behind bars in unethical procedures. Noble Corruption can be defined as a form of corruption that is committed by criminal justice organizations in a bid to keep the bad guys away. In many situations like this, it takes a great leader to be able to assess the matter. Leadership skills entail decision making; it is of great significance that a leader should be able to call in a request such as this, and it is effected by the team. Noble cause corruption can take different forms such as implanting of evidence, perjury and writing incorrect information in police reports. It is the sole responsibility of a leader to take charge of such a situation and stand side by side with their teams to ensure that such measures are effected ("Criminal Justice Organizations Criminal Justice Agency Administration", 2016).

Police officers are mandated with the responsibility of maintaining law and order in society. They are the assets of the law; they work hand in hand with the court systems to ensure that justice is served at all times. The decision to take against any form of injustice and not having a let it slide mentality is a definition of true leadership in criminal justice. Leaders in the police department, criminal justice departments, and other servant organizations should always put justice as the prime agenda. In many cases, criminal justice agencies may be in conflict over the form of punishment that is to be administered to criminals. The law enforcement officers have a goal of removing all the offenders from the community, on the other hand, the court systems prefer to take the approach of trying to rehabilitate individuals. The variations in ideologies and mechanism of implementation of justice always prove to be a hurdle between the police officers and the court systems. Leaders in criminal justice agencies should always be aware of situations that might lead to conflict; it is important to understand that different justice systems have different mechanisms of handling conflict (Normore& Fitch, 2011). As a leader, it is your prerogative to enlighten your team on how the court systems work and the varied outcomes of different cases. A demonstration of strong leadership skills will help the agency to a better level of operation. The leadership of both of these groups should be at balance; it is of critical need that the desires of the two justice systems should be met with minimal conflict.

Leadership abilities should always be demonstrated in the case where external politics interfere with the internal operations of an organization. It is imperative to acknowledge that external influence in the local operation of a criminal justice agency can be very detrimental in the execution of tasks. A great leader should be able to balance out internal operations and the external forces coming in to cause a disruption of the normal working environment of the agency (Practices, 2014). Leaders should be able to alert their employees of external affairs that might impede the execution of their duties. Leaders should always keep their teams informed, enlightening the team members about any political forces that are curbing them from executing their responsibilities. It is important that a leader keeps their team members in the light, from this the team members would find a way to continue with their set objectives knowing that they are operating in risky zones. A simple scenario is when the criminal justice agency is investigating the head of the CIA on drug trafficking charges. Such a case requires a high level of secrecy and commitment lest the agency is shut down or people are losing their jobs (Matrix Group International, 2016). A great leader should always communicate with the team keeping them abreast with what is going on around them, the course of their actions and the repercussions if everything goes wrong.

As a leader, one should understand that different ruling governments come with different changes, new propositions, and even budgetary allocations. A leader should understand that new political regimes come with their own ideologies on the management of crime and dispensation of justice. As a leader, one should always remain informed on any new laws that have been passed, know the mechanism of executing the new policies and their implementation on the grass root levels. Political alliances with certain parties may jeopardize the operations of a given criminal justice department, the maintenance of neutrality and impartiality in politics should remain intact no matter which party has formed the ruling government (Matrix Group International, 2016).

A major aspect that occurs with changes in leadership regimes is budget cuts. These budgetary reductions can lead to loss of jobs to some people; it even reduces the workforce required in keeping the community safe from harm. It is important to understand that a leader should find the mechanism of executing his/her responsibilities on a tight budget. In the long run, the leader is held answerable to any crimes committed within his/her area of jurisdiction. In many other cases, the distribution of labor should be done in the case of an understaffed and overwhelmed employees. It is of great value that justice systems always remain abreast with any new developments in their area of specialization in order to be able to protect society and prevent crime at all times (Haugen & Musser, 2009).

The adoption of technology in fighting crime in the 21st-century police business has become a tradition. Disparities arise when different criminal justice agencies use different softwares to fight crime. The disparities hinder sharing of intel in real time. A leader in criminal justice department should first learn how to use these technologies, then through team training the members of staff can learn about these technologies (Matrix Group International, 2016). The use of technology in fighting crime has made it easier to track criminal activities and has smoothened the process of obtaining evidence from a crime scene, for instance, the use of CCTV camera footages. It is highly important that a leader learns to use these technologies perfectly or even build a team of technology experts that can play a role in the fighting of crime using technology. Capacity building through the use of technology is significant in fighting crime, the management of an agencys crime database files is very critical in the maintenance of records of criminal activities of individuals. The use of these technology assets can aid a leader in building a strong and well informed team. The key is to take advantage of the resources available and putting them to maximum use (Normore& Fitch, 2011). Leaders in criminal justice agencies should focus on developing key strategies that will aide in improving the work environment of their teams. A good leader should always be concerned about the level of expertise of each and every team member; he should focus more on training the team on the latest technologies and techniques in fighting crime in the information and technology age.

In a world filled with individuals who care about their personal interests and they would take any measures to see that they are fulfilled, there is need for a team with clairvoyant skills. Transparency and ethics should be a major focus in the life of a criminal justice agent. It is important that all employees maintain a level of respect for the laws of the land and the society they serve. All the employees must be taken through psychological tests. As a leader, one should know that their team may encounter horrific and life changing situations in the line of work. Such situations should be handled with care, and utmost care, certain levels of trauma should be handled by the experts. As a leader, one needs to be well aware that the activities they undertake in the line of work with a purpose of fighting crime may alter an individuals perception of life (Practices, 2014). Psychological counseling and other therapeutic measures need to be undertaken when employees face traumatizing situations. A great leader for that matter should take matters into their hands through giving employees a few day off their daily routines. This, in turn, would help reduce fatigue and give the team the drive to push on in their pursuit of justice in society (Haugen & Musser, 2009).

Leadership in a criminal justice agency is one that call for tough decision making. The action is reciprocated in the world; a leader should be able to make straight and well thought out decisions. In many cases professionals in the criminal justice department have to make tough calls that would seem uncommon and odd, but they are critical to the situation at hand. Leaders should realize that well thought out decisions would keep them safe from criminal allegations or abuse of office. It is paramount that leaders use their power discretely without going beyond their jurisdiction. It is paramount for a leader to know that the decisions they make affect their team, they should always strive to give decisions that would favor his/her relationship with the team in order to foster a good working relationship ("Criminal Justice Organizations Criminal Justice Agency Administration", 2016).

Criminal justice agencies play a critical role in the scales of justice. It is their role to hold everyone accountable for their deeds and misdeeds; their role is of paramount importance to the sustainability of peace and harmony in society. The court systems, correctional facilities, law firms and the police department work together in a bid to dispense justice in society for the victims and punish the wrong doers. Leadership is of great necessity to such organizations; it is important that the leaders of such organization should be of high ethical conduct and just at all times. The vices of corruption and lack of impartiality may be detrimental to the maintenance of law and order. As a leader in a criminal justice agency, it important that one leads the law enforcement team in the right direction (Haugen & Musser, 2009). That is towards being of service to society and correcting the ills of individuals with selfish motives.

Leadership is critical to all sectors in the economy, governance and enforcement of the law also require stern leadership skills. Notably, leaders should ensure that their team believes in them and abides by their decisions. The formation of a working relationship established on trust and obedience builds a great team. The fight against crime in society requires sober leadership and people who are ready to make the tough calls. Enforcement of state laws are the sole responsibility of criminal justice teams, leaders at a given agency should take it upon themselves to improve the working conditions of their team members....