The criminal justice agency selected for this discussion is the police. Management can be said to be the process of dealing with people or even things. These things include resources as well as time. On the other hand, an organization is a group of people who come together with the intention of attaining a common objective. In this regard, the group is predetermined and guided by the same set of guidelines and framework. Leadership, on the other hand, is the ability to get people to follow you and do as you require of them. It is the process of leading people in the direction that one considers best for oneself, the people, and the organization.
The Role Of Police Managers And Leaders Within The Criminal Justice System
It is worth noting that police service delivery has improved over time. In the past, the workforce applied more coercion in the maintenance of law and order. However, greater professionalism has taken hold in the police force as a result of leadership transformation. Therefore, leaders and managers have to engage in various roles within the criminal justice system (Findlay et al., 2015). First, they manage all the police officers under them, and each officer is assigned a specific role. With specific roles assigned to each of the police officers, confusion is eliminated, and work becomes easier.
Also, managers control the performance of the police workforce. In this case, leaders determine how well police officers perform from time to time. In addition, they determine how effective the strategies applied by the officers are in attaining justice for the people. Managers also conduct an evaluation of the level of brutality exercised by the police and hold officers accountable (Piquero et al., 2016). This ensures that all police officers conduct their duties in accordance with the law and thus provide justice to citizens.
Managers and leaders enable police officers to maintain ethical standards. In this case, they help develop the required work ethics. As such, they develop rules that are in line with the supreme law of the land, which is the Constitution. In this way, they provide guidelines to be followed by the police in attaining the set ethical standards.
Need For Learning Organizations In Criminal Justice Organizations
Learning organizations are essential in criminal justice organizations. This is because there is a need for the continuous transformation of the police force from the use of force toward professionalism. Police officers require essential training for them to attain the best levels of performance. In addition, there has to be a learning environment that allows officers to understand the need to abide by the laws of the land. It is in learning organizations that the basics of policing are instilled in police officers. In addition, it is in the same learning organizations that officers specialize in their areas of professionalism (Maxfield et al., 2017). Learning organizations form the basis for the career development of recruits as well as serving officers.
Different Generations In The Changing Criminal Justice Organization
Baby Boomers
These are officers born earlier and mainly consist of older officers. They are officers nearing retirement age. Due to this fact, they have faced many more situations than the younger generations. Therefore, they are ready to face difficulties and work under minimal supervision.
Gen Xers
They are middle-aged officers. They are younger than the baby boomers but older than the millennials. They are likely to conflict with the millennials due to differences in their ages as well as their expectations.
Millennials
Many of these police officers trace their birth dates from the year 1980 onward. Such officers are young and have high expectations. As such, they are likely to have major conflicts with the other generations in the organization because they have higher levels of workplace demands.
Aspects Of Leadership Effective For The Various Generations
Team building: For all generations, team building is essential. This presents a good opportunity for the different generations to develop effective coordination and better working relationships.
Outstanding self-awareness: Millennials need to have a high level of self-awareness. They need to determine their reasons for serving and thus pursue the criminal justice profession rather than their personal needs.
Communication skills: All generations need to learn and adopt the best communication skills. Such skills would encourage the free exchange of ideas among the different levels of management. As such, better services will be offered, and everyone will be more likely to work as a team.
References
Findlay, M., Odgers, S., & Yeo, S. M. H. (2015). Australian criminal justice. Oxford University Press.
Maxfield, M., Hou, Y., Butts, J. A., Pipitone, J. M., Fletcher, L. T., & Peterson, B. (2017). Multiple Research Methods for Evidence Generation. Advances in Evidence-Based Policing.
Piquero, A. R., Bersani, B. E., Loughran, T. A., & Fagan, J. (2016). Longitudinal patterns of legal socialization in first-generation immigrants, second-generation immigrants, and native-born serious youthful offenders. Crime & Delinquency, 62(11), 1403-1425.
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