Criminal Justice Structural Failure or Leadership Failure

Leadership in Criminal Justice

Part 1

Competence and Skill in Criminal Justice Leadership

There are a wide range of inefficiencies that have been identified and explored in the criminal justice realm. Similarly, entire studies have been conducted in an attempt to establish the source of the said inefficiencies. It would be prudent to assess the role that leadership plays in the optimal operation of criminal justice organizations.

It is important to note that in the past various strategies have been deployed in an attempt to ensure that those who occupy leadership positions across the entire criminal justice system have a set of skills and capabilities needed to effectively execute their roles and offer direction to staff and other stakeholders. This is particularly the case in the U.S. and the U.K. where, as Hoggett, Redford, Toher, and White (2019) point out, conversations about the professionalization of policing have resulted in the implementation of policies meant to ensure that those hired have the relevant qualifications, and that ascent to positions of leadership is earned and deserved. However, Flistad (2022) is of the opinion that the law enforcement industry, and to a larger extent, the entire criminal justice system faces a leadership crisis. This, according to the author, is to say that most of those serving in the diverse criminal justice system administrative roles do not necessarily have the prerequisite leadership skills and capabilities. The author has presented a number of compelling arguments in support of his assertion.

For instance, he indicates that it has been difficult to fill leadership positions left by the retiring baby-boomer generation fast enough. This leaves a leadership vacuum in some scenarios, with those filling the said positions lacking in skill and experience. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the author also makes an observation to the effect that there has been little effort to properly structure and deploy leadership training to those holding or lined up to assume criminal justice administration roles (Flistad, 2022). This, according to the author, is more so the case given that the focus of police academies as well as traditional criminal justice training programs happen to be on crime reduction efforts and strategies. Little attention is given to effective leadership skills.

Attributes of Good Leadership

In a study conducted by Schafer (2010), it was established that ineffective leaders in law enforcement exhibited a set of traits and habits associated with poor leadership in other contexts of leadership, i.e. in the corporate world. Some of the habits of law enforcement officers deemed ineffective were inclusive of, but they were not limited to; lack of integrity, inability to communicate in an effective manner, arrogance/ego, micromanagement, and closed mindedness (Schafer, 2010). Towards this end, one could identify some of the attributes of good leadership in the realm of criminal justice as; integrity, effective communication skills, humility, and ability to delegate.

a. Integrity

To begin with, the relevance of integrity in the effective administration of criminal justice cannot be overstated. This is more so the case given that the criminal justice system happens to be the last bastion of hope in as far as justice and fairness is concerned. Further, unethical behavior in this realm could result in dysfunction of the entire system. For these reasons, those serving in leadership roles in this case should be guided by strong moral principles in the execution of their roles and duties. This would come in handy in efforts to rein in corruption and misconduct across the entire criminal justice system. In crisis management, unethical conduct could end up worsening an otherwise bad situation and trigger a series of undesirable outcomes. For this reason, the ability of a leader to remain true to the relevant moral ideals is instrumental in helping teams navigate the storms of crisis scenarios.

b. Effective Communication

One other crucial leadership attribute is effective communication. The inability of a leader to communicate in effective and meaningful formats would effectively hamper efforts to furnish juniors with the information or resource needed to function effectively in their diverse roles. Effective communication abilities are especially important during crisis scenarios. According to Bernstein (2011), in crisis situations, there is need to ensure that all stakeholders have the information needed to take decisive action. In such situations, there is also need to keep teams united. These two objectives cannot be achieved in the absence of seamless communication between leader(s) and juniors/followers.

c. Humility

Third, with regard to humility, it should be noted that in the absence of humility, one may be unwilling to see things from the perspective of others. This gets in the way of effective collaboration – with collaboration being one of the most instrumental factors in the promotion of effectiveness in criminal justice functions and roles. According to Bernstein (2011), in crisis scenarios, two heads are often better than one. This is to say that chances of success in handling whatever crisis there is are further enhanced when stakeholders collaborate and appreciate the input of one another.

d. Delegating

Next, effective leaders should be able to delegate roles and functions in an effective manner so as to focus on undertakings considered high priority, and achieve optimal utilization of resources. Black, Bright, and Gardner (2019) point out that the ability to delegate is especially crucial for those leaders responsible for large teams. A good example in this case would be a police chief leading a team of law enforcement officers in efforts to resolve a crisis. On this front, the said police chief ought to be able to identify those who have what it takes to perform specific roles in an effective manner and assign certain tasks to them. This significantly increases chances of success. Black, Bright, and Gardner (2019) indicate that a good leader knows not only when to delegate, but also what to delegate.

Leader Response to Crises

It is important to note that whereas some leaders flourish during a crisis, others tend to fold in similar scenarios. Thus, to be a good leader in as far as crisis management is concerned, there are a number of abilities or capabilities that leaders in the criminal justice system ought to develop.

a. Emotional Intelligence

One such capability happens to be emotional intelligence. According to Bernstein (2012), emotional intelligence could be conceptualized as the ability of an individual (or a leader for that matter) to not only perceive and evaluate their emotions, but also be able to control the said emotions. Thus, in preparation to be a good leader in as far as crisis management is concerned, one should see to it that they possess emotional intelligence. Crises could be emotionally draining. It is for this reason that there is need to properly manage ones emotions and prevent emotional outbursts or irrational behavior that could further worsen the situation. There is also need to in this case be in a position to empathize with others and understand their feelings. This helps diffuse tensions and inspire the confidence of followers during crisis situations.

b. Cultural Competence

Secondly, to be a good leader in terms of crisis management, one ought to be culturally competent. This is an instrumental skill in efforts to manage diverse teams and groups. Cultural competence, according to Black, Bright, and Gardner (2019), happens to be the ability of a person be embracive of persons who are from different cultures, backgrounds, belief systems, etc. In other words, it could be perceived as respect for diversity. Inability to interact with others just because they come from different backgrounds or hold perspectives that differ from one’s own could hamper team efforts. It is important to note that in crisis scenarios, the relevance of teamwork cannot be overstated. When the leader is able to interact in an effective manner with persons from other cultures, then he or she can be able to inspire the confidence of the entire team and be able to better coordinate efforts to resolve or manage the crisis.

c. Adaptability

Third, in crisis management, an effective leader ought to be adaptable. This is to say that an effective leader should not be rigid and close-minded in as far as decision making is concerned. Bernstein (2011) points out that one of the most prominent features of most crises is unpredictability. Further, according to the author, no crisis is identical to another. Thus, it is not possible to come up with or formulate a universal approach to crisis management that could be deployed in all crisis scenarios. Each crisis must be handled on its own merit. What this means is that to be effective, a leader must be ready to adjust to changing factors. The said leader must also be ready to constantly adapt approaches and strategies as per the demands of a crisis situation.

Part 2

Structural Failure or Leadership Failure?

Comprehensive reading of the available literature indicates that the various concerns attributed to leadership in the criminal justice system are triggered by both structural issues and leadership inefficiencies. This could be explained in terms of both the rational and natural systems perspectives. In essence, this also means that problems are largely attributable to the criminal justice system in a closed system format – i.e. without necessarily considering the contribution that external factors (i.e. in the external environment) make. For instance, the concern of racial profiling is largely a function of an informal structure as it has not been embraced as formal policy. This assumes a natural systems perspective. On the other hand, unprofessional or poor handling of persons/suspects presenting with symptoms consistent with mental illness could have a more direct bearing to the formal aspects of law enforcement organizations. This is more so the case in relation to coordination and specialization. It therefore follows that this could be perceived from the viewpoint of administrative theory (which essentially assumes a rational systems approach).

An Environment for Leading Change and People

The theory which, in my opinion, would be best suited to produce an environment that is ideal in as far as the embrace of new approaches of leading change and people is concerned is naturalistic theory. According to Scott and Davis (2015), the naturalistic systems theory happens to have its sights trained on the informal aspects of an organization. This, as the authors further indicate, is in direct contrast to rational systems theory that are concerned with an organization’s formal aspects.

Robbins and Judge (2009) point out that in seeking to implement change and influence all organizational members to embrace proposed change, there is need to ensure that all those to be affected by the said change are in one way or another consulted and their viewpoints and/or perspectives sought (and incorporated). The authors indicate that failure to do this is likely to result in resistance to change. Resistance to change could take various formats, i.e. sabotage or a ‘go slow’ in terms of performance. It is with this in mind that I am in favor of cooperative systems theory (which embrace a naturalistic systems approach) in efforts to implement change and influence all organizational members to embrace proposed change. Cooperative systems theory, as Scott and Davis (2015) point out, is fully cognizant of the informal aspects which underlie the existence of an organization. Indeed, according to the authors, an organization is able to progress and unite towards a common purpose when three conditions are met; common purpose, willingness to serve, and communication (Scott and Davis, 2015). Initiating discussions on the need for change, and seeking the insights of the relevant stakeholders falls within the purview of effective communication and the resolve to accomplish a common purpose. These are informal organizational aspects that must not be ignored.

Impact of Organizational Culture on Leadership

Organizational culture, in basic terms, happens to be the aggregation of all the practices, expectations, as well as values that direct or influence the behavior of organizational members (Robbins and Judge, 2009). According to the authors, organizational culture does have a significant impact on the attitudes of leaders. The authors back up this assertion with an example of an organization that has in place a culture that could be deemed employee-centric. As the authors indicate, this would likely influence the predominant approach to leadership. More specifically, a leader in this case is likely to embrace a consultative style of leadership that considers employees as crucial stakeholders and actively seeks to advance their interests.