Discussion: Criminal Justice Policy Actors

You have by now read several chapters of Criminal Justice Policy Origins and Effectiveness and should have a clear understanding of the number of actors within the criminal justice arena that create policy, including those in the corrections, law enforcement, and the courts among others. Each actor shares some goals with the others, but some goals are unique to each actor.

In this discussion, we are going to examine the challenges that exist when multiple actors in the same criminal justice arena are all trying to create policy that necessarily impacts the other actors. First, review the chapter readings in Criminal Justice Policy Origins and Effectiveness from Modules 1 through 5, as well as the Marion video and Obama article from Module 3. Next, in your initial post:

1. Identify an example of a departmental policy effort to address a public policy issue.
2. Focus your explanation on the potential difference between perceptions of criminality, the public policy issues related to these perceptions, and the reality of the challenges many political actors face in addressing these issues.
3. Discuss the overall impact on the public that exists having so many actors involved in the same criminal justice arena—all of whom are trying to create policy to address the same public policy issue.