Criminal Justice System: Annotated Bibliography
Maguire, E. R. (1997). Structural change in large municipal police organizations during the community policing era. Justice Quarterly, 14(3), 547-576. Web.
The articles present a study of the structural changes that have occurred in large municipal police institutions within the community policing period. While the changes in the structure of large police organizations are attributed to technology, Maguire states that the efforts of community policing reformers are considerable. The study investigates the impact of the reformers in altering aspects of huge municipal police departments from 1987 to 1993 (Maguire, 1997). The study results indicate that the reformers have not succeeded in changing the structural formation of large municipal organizations. The ranks, differentiation, communication, and administrative functions have remained almost the same for the six years the research investigated. The study recognizes that six years might be a short duration to examine structural changes in policing. However, the author acknowledges that some alterations proposed by the reformers conflict with the roles of police officers. For instance, de-specialization would mean that the specific areas, such as drug trucking, which are assigned to special units, are no longer as important.
Horowitz, D. L. (1983). Decreeing organizational change: Judicial supervision of public institutions. Duke LJ, 1265.
The article investigates the court’s role in effecting changes in public institutions through the issuance of decrees. Horowitz examines the roots, features, and impacts of organizational change decrees in public institutions. The author states that courts intervene when individuals or different parties seek assistance due to disagreement or lack of understanding of a particular situation (Horowitz, 1983). Additionally, the article clarifies that changes in the manner of directions issued by courts can happen due to changes in views regarding how public institutions should be managed. Howaltz notes that court decree to institute organizational changes results in unintended consequences such as failure to mobilize resources to accomplish the intended goal (Horowitz, 1983). While the court considers following the law important in making decisions, it is clear that remedies to organizational problems are complex. The decree should provide a remedy that indicates that the court should provide the required resources to effect the changes.
Willis, J. J., Mastrofski, S. D., & Weisburd, D. (2007). Making sense of COMPSTAT: A theory‐based analysis of organizational change in three police departments. Law & Society Review, 41(1), 147-188. Web.
The article investigates the role of COMPSTAT, software used to manage operations in police departments. Although skeptics suggest that the software cannot reinforce the existing functional structures in policing, Willis et al. (2007) suggest that it has failed in bringing the changes it was expected to institute. In the three municipal departments where COMPSTAT was adopted, there were claims that the management was pressured to use the software to achieve better standards in policing. Accepting COMPSTAT was revealed to be a rational or logical decision to respond to pressures mounted on policing organizations to enhance their use of technology. The author concludes that COMPSTAT has not achieved the expected structural or functional in policing. More innovations will be needed to ensure the best potential and effectiveness are harnessed from technology to attain anticipated changes.
Similarities
One of the similarities between the three articles is that they investigate the changes needed in policing to ensure their work is performed effectively. Further, all three articles recognize that there is pressure to change the structural formation of the police department because many believe it is the only way to enhance accountability in criminal justice. Lastly, the articles expose the failures that dominated attempts to change structural functioning and the need to try other options to deal with criminal justice challenges.