Criminal Justice Organizations: Administration and Management

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Criminal Justice Organizations Administration
and Management

• Chapter Two The Structure of Criminal Justice
  Organizations

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Learning Objectives

• Define three major differences between the open
  system and the closed system.
• Define hierarchical and organic.
• Define the major differences between centralized
  and decentralized organizations.
• Define organizational mission, policy, and
  procedure.
• Understand the basics of agency budgeting.
• Understand the difference between the formal and
  informal structure of an organization.
• Understand the role of administration in
  promoting agency ethics.
• Understand agencies through the four frames
  perspective.

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Overview of Organizational Structure

• Criminal justice organizations vary greatly in
  size, structure and purpose.
• Criminal justice organizations are compared by
• Their organizational models
• Hierarchical versus Organic
• Their structural dimensions
• Task specialization
• Formalization
• Span of control
• Centralization versus Decentralization
• Complexity
• Allocation of line and staff personnel

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Overview of Organizational StructureOrganizationa
l Models

• Hierarchical

• Organic

• Structurally rigid-clear chain of command.
• Leadership exists within supervisor/subordinate
  relationships.
• Function best in stable or predictable
  environments.
• Communications is vertical and downward.

• Loosely connected-authority is diffused.
• Leadership is more peer-oriented.
• Can function efficiently in unstable or
  unpredictable environments.
• Communication is horizontal.

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Overview of Organizational StructureOrganizationa
l Models

• Hierarchical

• Organic

• Focus on processes, procedures, and rules.
• Decision making and conflict resolution come from
  the top.
• Workers perform narrowly defined (specialized)
  tasks.
• Responsibility is individually based.

• Focus on results.
• Decision making and conflict resolution can come
  from anywhere.
• Workers may perform a number of tasks.
• Responsibility may be team based.

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Overview of Organizational StructureOrganizationa
l Models
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Overview of Organizational StructureOrganizationa
l Dimensions

• Task Specialization the process of dividing
  work processes unto smaller tasks.
• Narrowly defined work tasks high task
  specialization
• Broadly defined work tasks low task
  specialization
• Formalization the establishment of written
  rules and regulations that govern the work
  activities.
• High levels of formalization (many rules)
• Low levels of formalization (few rules)

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Overview of Organizational StructureOrganizationa
l Dimensions

• Span of Control the number of subordinates
  reporting to a supervisor.
• Wide (more subordinates per supervisor)
• Narrow (few subordinates per supervisor)
• Centralization versus Decentralization
• In centralized organizations important decisions
  are made by upper managers.
• In decentralized organizations important
  decisions are made in the lower levels.

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Overview of Organizational StructureOrganizationa
l Dimensions

• Complexity defined by the number of units
  within an organization.
• Vertical complexity number of levels in the
  chain of command (tall organizations).
• Horizontal complexity number of units across
  the organization (flat organizations).
• Line/Staff Allocation the balance between line
  and staff personnel.
• Line employees exist within the chain of
  command.
• Staff employees exist outside the chain of
  command.

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Mission, Policies, and Procedures

• The ideal bureaucracy has
• A written mission that is logically implemented
  by,
• Policies and procedures,
• Performed by employees who
• Understand and accept the mission,
• Have a working knowledge of the policies and
  procedures, and
• Carry out their tasks in accordance with their
  job descriptions.

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Mission, Policies, and ProceduresMission

• A mission is a statement of an organizations
• Common purpose,
• Continuing purpose for existing,
• Ideology,
• Values, and
• Operating principles (Houston and Parsons, 2006).
• Provides clear understanding of an agencys
  purpose, goals, and objectives.
• Declares an agencys values and operating
  philosophy.
• Provides employees with a basis for ethical
  decision making.
• Helps keep an organizations daily activities
  focused.

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Mission, Policies, and ProceduresPolicies and
Procedures

• Policy a clear statement that defines what
  action is to be taken and why. Policies include
  a
• Statement of purpose,
• Required action, and
• Rationale for that purpose.
• Procedure step-by-step descriptions of the
  activities that agency members need to follow to
  achieve the objective or goal put forth by a
  policy.

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Budgeting in Organizations

• Criminal justice organizations acquire resources
  through a process that is cyclical, formal, and
  political.
• Line-item budgeting is the most common form.
• Periodically, the agency must submit to an audit
  to determine whether they have spent the funds
  appropriately.

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Informal Structures in Organizations

• The goals, activities, or structures that are not
  officially acknowledged by an organization.
• The informal structure may be a product of an
  organizations actual culture and includes
• The informal communications system the
  grapevine or rumor mill.
• Informal work groups loosely knit teams
  organized on an ad hoc basis.
• Informal leadership individuals with a great
  deal of expertise and communication skills.

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Organizational Frames

• Organizations can be analyzed effectively when
  viewed through four frames or perspectives
  (Bolman and Deal, 2003).
• Each frame describes distinctive attributes of an
  organization.
• Viewing organizations through these frames helps
  locate problems within the organization.

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Organizational Frames

• Structural frame the organizational hierarchy,
  division of labor, job descriptions, mission,
  policies, procedures, etc.
• Human resource frame assumes organizations
  exist to serve human rather than organizational
  needs.
• Political frame views organization as a place
  in which interest groups compete for scarce
  resources.
• Symbolic frame views organizations as tribes,
  theater, or carnivals in which organizational
  culture is driven by ritual, ceremonies, stories,
  heroes, and myths rather than be managerial
  authority.

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Chapter Summary

• Closed systems are hierarchical, formal, and
  mechanistic.
• Open systems are informal and organic. They rely
  on professionalism.
• Hierarchy refers to an agencys chain of command.
• The term organic describes loosely structured
  professional organizations.
• In centralized organizations, authority and
  decision making is at the top of the structure.
• In decentralized organizations, authority and
  decision making are generally founded at the
  lower levels of the structure.

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Chapter Summary

• Mission is a statement of the organizations
  purpose.
• Policies explain what needs to be done to achieve
  the mission.
• Procedures are step by step directions on how to
  implement policies.
• Public agencies request funds to operate from the
  political entities they serve.
• Budgets need to be approved, implemented, and
  audited for compliance.

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Chapter Summary

• Informal structure refers to the purpose, goals,
  and activities that are not officially
  acknowledged.
• The formal structure refers to the officially
  recognized arrangement of the organization.
• Administrators have a duty to operate ethically
  and to indoctrinate agency members with
  organizational ethics.
• Viewing organizations through structural, human
  resources, political, and symbolic frames
  provides a unique analytical perspective.

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Thinking Point and Question

• After years of civil rights litigation, labor
  union disputes and political change, the Bigton
  Police Department has hired a new chief from
  another department in the hopes of making some
  changes.
• This new chief is given the authority (and
  responsibility) to make significant changes to
  improve the department.
• Using the four frames model (Bolman and Deal,
  2003) develop a list of questions within each of
  the four frames that the chief might use to
  identify the source of this agencys problems.