Week 3 – discussion 2 | CRJ 510 Criminal Justice Policy & Theory | Ashford University

  Bureaucracy and Crime Control Policy 

Larry Gaines in his article: “Homeland security: A new criminal justice mandate” (pages 67-85 in your text) talks to the bureaucracy established to address homeland security issues. Use this article as a springboard for this discussion. Bureaucracies are the offices where we take theory and put it into practice—it is where the rubber meets the road. These offices carry out or implement the laws and policies passed by the legislature. Select a specific crime control policy initiative, and show how the initiative is implemented in the judicial, law enforcement, or corrections bureaucracy. Then, address how the bureaucracy influences crime control policy.

Initial Post: Explain how the discretion of the bureaucracy to implement policy influences criminal justice policy. What instruments of power are used by the bureaucracy to carry out the policy? Explain how the policy process and the relationships of stakeholders influence criminal justice policy. Support your claims with examples from the required materials and/or other scholarly sources, and properly cite your references with both in-text and APA citation at the end of your post. Your initial post is due by Day 3 (Thursday) and should be at least 400 words in length.

Guided Response: Evaluate and respond to two of your peers’ posts, and respond to at least one Instructor Response in the discussion. In your response, determine the effect of the policy on the criminal justice system. Evaluate the effects, and address the limits and controls in place to ensure that these bureaucracies are carrying out the original intent of the legislatures. Do the bureaucracy policies as implemented have social justice implications? Respond to two peers by Day 7.