managing challenges in criminal justice

Managing Challenges in Criminal Justice

For managers in the criminal justice system, the duty to protect the public means supervising officers who must interact with lawbreakers, intoxicated or dangerous individuals, and the like. Similarly, corrections officers deal continually with violent criminals and others who do not want to be confined in jail or prison.

These are demanding jobs. Criminal justice managers face a difficult dilemma that is built into their jobs: on the one hand, they are tasked with protecting the public (as well as their employees), while on the other hand, they are expected to control the behavior of their officers and protect the rights of the criminals they encounter.

With this contradiction in mind, discuss the following:

For police and correctional officers, is it more important to get results or to follow laws and procedures exactly? As a manager, how would you guide your officers on this point?
Which factors can contribute to job dissatisfaction and burnout among police and correctional officers? What can managers do to minimize the impact of these factors?
How does the popularity of cell phone video cameras and social media impact the patrol officerâ€™s job? Analyze both the positive and negative effects of this development.