Essay About Democratic Society And Public Places Demands

Challenges of a Criminal Justice Administrator
Essay title: Challenges of a Criminal Justice Administrator
Challenges of a Criminal Justice Administrator
Criminal Justice Administration
Abstract
A major dilemma of criminal justice in a democratic society is to process suspects and
punish law violators in a humane and rational manner. Through the development of the
“Get Tough on Crime” movement, political and social pressures have resulted in
overcrowded jails and prisons. Budgets have swelled to accommodate larger populations
of inmates, without money left over to develop reforms, or preventive measures through
rehabilitation. As the public places demands on politicians for longer and longer
sentences for offenders, prisons will continue to operate in the warehouse mode,
without the means to pursue other alternatives to incarceration
As we enter the 21st century it is believed we will continue to see a shift from the
preference for punishment to one of treatment and rehabilitation. Regardless of what
politicians, correction officials or criminal justice entities as whole see as the solution, the
direction and future of criminal justice depends on the publics perception and societal
expectations for solutions. Whether these solutions be deterrence, rehabilitation,
incapacitation, restoration or retribution as sentencing goals society will dictate the
direction prisons go, not jail administrators or policy makers. As seen in legislation
through tough on crime measures, the expectation of society for prisons is to provide
incarceration and retribution. Until these expectations change and the pendulum swings
within the court of public opinion, other measures will most certainly be hindered if not
doomed to failure, lacking support or funding to see them through. The realization that
what “society” wants will more often occur than what the “system” or professionals
within it want, is at the basis of this paper.
The publics perception of prisons function is based much on glamorization by
television or the misinformation of the media. The perception of prisons function does
completely fall in line with the publics expectations for prisons, in part because the public
or society as a whole lack a real understanding of prisons and prison life. Depending on
the background of the individual the expectations for prisons can be very different. Many
elderly citizens in society for example see prison as an awful place that would make
anyone who had to go there change their ways. In reality this is not the case.
The alternating preference for punishment or treatment predates the use of prisons as a
sentence.