Introduction
Criminal justice organizations play an important role in society. According to, Surette (2014), they are tasked with several functions. The first is the maintenance of social control. The second function of criminal justice organizations is preventing crime from happening and averting threats against the society at large. Furthermore, these organizations are tasked with punishing and rehabilitating criminals (Surette, 2014). Organizations generally operate using different structures and systems. Organizational structure refers to how roles and levels are defined in an organization, while a system portrays how an organization interacts with the environment. Different criminal justice organizations, therefore, utilize different systems and structures. Examples of criminal justice organizations are the police, the courts of law, and correctional facilities. The aim of this essay is to describe the nature of leadership and management in criminal justice organizations. Additionally, the paper seeks to cover the main differences between an open system and a closed system of governance in regards to criminal justice organizations.
Leadership and Management
Leadership in criminal justice organizations is defined as a process in which an individual influences one or more other individuals to conform to his way of thinking, with the aim of achieving a long-term target. A leader is an individual who takes up such a role in an organization. In criminal justice organizations, leaders have authority over those below him. A leader sets targets and expects results from the rest of the organization. Communication, hence, is mainly vertical.
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Management is different from leadership due to its nature. Allen and Sawhney (2015) define management as “an ongoing process of getting things done through a variety of people with the least amount of effort, expense, and waste, ultimately resulting in the achievement of organizational goals” (pg. 3). Therefore, management has to include two or more individuals working in harmony with each other with the aim of achieving specific targets. The main role of a manager is to plan and organize a group of people until an objective is met (Allen & Sawhney, 2015). The main difference between a leader and a manager is that a manager has specific short-term goals, while a leader seeks long-term results (Răducan & Răducan, 2014).
Closed and Open Systems
Criminal justice organizations can either employ a closed system model of organization or an open one. The main difference between the two models lies in the way that they interact with the environment. In the case of the closed model, the organization is completely detached from the external environment. A closed model possesses a clear line of command. At the top, it has a leader and its levels of power are vertical. This model utilizes authoritarian leadership. According to Allen and Sawhney (2015), organizational secrets do not leave the organization. Instead, the members of the organization exercise utmost confidentiality. On the other hand, open models of organization are known for the active nature of the interactions between members. This model involves extensive interaction with the external environment and does not possess a defined hierarchical system.
In conclusion, various criminal justice organizations utilize different organizational models. Open models are used in organizations that require a massive relay of information while closed models are used in organizations that require utmost confidentiality. An ideal example of a criminal justice organization with an open model is a Department of Justice. These organizations are tasked with civil rights legislation and prosecuting lawbreakers and, therefore, need a rapid relay of information. In contrast, the closed model best suits the National Armies. This is because such organizations have massive responsibilities like preventing national threats such that there cannot be room for error.
- Allen, J. M., & Sawhney, R. (2015). Administration and management in criminal justice: A service quality approach (2nd ed.).
- Răducan, R., & Răducan, R. (2014). Leadership and management. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 149, 808-812.
- Surette, R. (2014). Media, crime, and criminal justice. Nelson Education.
