Research and Policy Development Paper Introduction

Irrespective of how advanced the devices and systems used in receiving and sending information are, much success would not be achieved in crime reduction until important information and facts about crime is accessible and worked on by policymakers (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). The idea of research, with emphasis laid on the discoveries made from criminal justice investigation, being actively utilized by policymakers forms the subject matter which this paper studies.

Identify the purposes and types of policies within the field of criminal justice

i. Count Policies

An important function of a corrections officer is the knowledge of the location of all offenders and where each one should be at a particular moment in time. All organizations have a different style and number of counts, nonetheless, the role the counts play remain straightforward and it is; to have the knowledge of the exact number of offenders existing under the agency’s care. This form of policies is the first within the criminal justice system (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). To a corrections officer, these policies determine when a head count of the offenders should be done, the steps to take if the offenders don’t keep to the rules and the ways to properly ensure that all tasks are carried out smoothly and timely.

ii. Use of Force Policies

An average corrections officer applies and takes off handcuffs more times daily than an average police officer. The criminal justice system possesses a strong policy regarding the use of force and the offender restraint. These policies supplies a detailed method and explanation of the way to restrain an offender, the ways and times when an offender is supposed to follow orders and the punishments when an offender doesn’t follow orders (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). The policies exist to shield corrections officers, the offenders themselves and all others who are involved one way or another. Also via these policies, the corrections officers are held responsible for anything that happens to the offender when in their custody.

iii. Medical Policies

The offenders present...

What this implies is that they should have access to quality medical care which is also timely and reasonable. Also, if any one of them has medical problems, proper recording and reporting to superiors should be done (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). The correctional officers have very little medical training and expertise, despite their excellent skills in human understanding, hence, they cannot properly conclude on the genuineness of any mental condition. Therefore these policies are crucial as they give the answers to questions on the reasons and processes involved in meeting the medical needs of offenders.
iv. Emergency Response Policies

Within the criminal justice system, officers have to respond to several emergencies daily. Within corrections, response units exist whose duty is to respond to these sorts of emergency situations. The remaining officers take up positions at a particular cell, block or complex (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). As a result of the emergency response policies, corrections officers have all necessary equipment to control almost all situations that might occur during their shift.

Describe the relationship between research and policy development

A particular issue which has a significant impact on research as well as its connection to policymaking is the level of interest, or specifically, the dearth of interest, in criminal justice research. Why this is quite surprising is that crime is one of the main concerns the people have (Maxfield & Babbie, 2014). Criminal justice studies have found it difficult to demonstrate its importance. Immediate results are not common and when they are present, they are most times speculative and filled with limitations and conditions. Equally, these studies take time and realistically, the answers they seek are needed right away. For criminal justice studies, however, irrespective of how innovative, extensive or sound the research is, there can’t be any instant or specific answer to criminal issues, like we see in medical research where the solutions are specific and are in drugs and medication form.

Therefore, doubts about the…