Criminal Justice Organizational Trends Paper

Criminal Justice Organizational Trends Paper

Jamie Anderson

University of Phoenix

May 25, 2015

CJA 444

Criminal Justice Organizational Trends Paper

Introduction

        Change is the act or instance of making or becoming different. Change is a process that is a constant

evolution and is never the same. What accompanies change could be good or bad, however regardless of the change

there are always adjustments that must be made to accommodate what changes are being done. Changes,

adjustments and accomodations are referred to as trends and these trends within the United States criminal justice

organizations are vital with peacekeeping and combating crime in society. Some of the recent changes and trends are

the privatization and militarization of the criminal justice organizations. Today I will be discussing and comparing

these trends with the current criminal justice organizations.

Privaitzation

The privatization of the criminal justice organizations in the United States stem from the idea or ideas that

if you award contracts to private companies that can run such services efficiently and effectively would potentially

save and even earn the government money (Nichols, 2010). To actually understand privatized policing, one must

understand the differences between police and private security. Although they are both created to create safety for

the public, the duties that they perform are separate entities. Police refers to sworn officers that work as members of

the government rather than to private security agencies or agents (Forst, p. 22, 2000). A private security agency

while serving in the same capacity as a police officer is defined differently. The private security term refers to “Non

government provided services and products used to protect the lives and property of commercial and residential

patrons against crime.” (Forst, p. 22, 2000). Basically the difference between police and security agents is one works

for the government and one works for a private company. Both protect the public, but in different aspects.

As many people understand, criminal justice organizations emphasis for policing is within crime prevention

with the hope to use minimal force. However very recently, policing strategies throughout the nation have changed

and their emphasis is now fighting crime rather than preventing it. With attempts to fight crime and crime

organizations, policing has turned to militarization. Militarization was derived from using military training, uniforms

and even weaponry with policing. Police militarization was created  in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s when police

needed military style SWAT teams to disperse and diffuse riot situations. Since the 1970’s, militarization has

evolved into what it is presently and it has society on the edge and in many cases the public fears the sight of police.