Juvenile Justice Bureau Organizational Change Effectiveness

Introduction
The State Juvenile Bureau is entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of aligning practices with core values and ethics. Juvenile justice has maintained distinct principles and practices from the adult criminal justice system for good reason. Therefore, the State Juvenile Bureau remains committed to evidence-based practice, to the ethical treatment of our youth, and to forming strategic partnerships with community organizations in order to promote both civic pride and public safety. The decisions made by the State Juvenile Bureau directly impact the effectiveness of the bureau and all stakeholders in fulfilling obligations to the public, and achieving goals and objectives. A new model of organizational culture and change management, grounded in the principles of collaboration and accountability, will help increase organizational effectiveness within the State Juvenile Bureau.
Prevalent Culture
Current organizational culture within the Bureau does not preclude change, but resistance to change is evident. There are a plethora of divergent opinions on how the Bureau should be run, with pressures from all facets of the political spectrum. A strong “tough on crime” contingent remains vocal, while increasingly social workers, educators, parents, and advocacy groups with in the community have been equally as insistent on their voices being heard. Within the organization, a formerly tight hierarchical structure had constrained the ability of diverse parties to work together. Gradually the organizational culture has shifted, as younger generations of leaders recognize the value inherent in flatter structures with improved flow of communications and inter-group collaboration. The goal now is to solidify organizational change, aligning the culture of the Bureau with its overall mission and goals.
Aligning Decisions With Missions and Goals
The mission and goal of the State Juvenile Bureau is to blend the best interests of community youth with the primary goal of public safety. Within this challenging framework, aligning Bureau decisions can be difficult, particularly as outmoded practices continue to hamper efforts to change. The juvenile justice system remains the initial processing point for many youth whose deviance is a sign of underlying behavioral and mental health issues. Therefore, the goal of this Bureau is to pool resources with local and state mental health agencies to provide more robust treatment interventions that are developmentally appropriate for young offenders. To this end, alternatives to incarceration and addressing root causes align will be implemented (Cook County State’s Attorney, 2018). When possible, the decisions the Bureau’s leaders make will be done collaboratively, including input from parents or guardians, case managers, educators, and psychologists, as well as victims.
Influencing Internal and External Politics
Politics understandably plays a crucial role in the organization’s practices. As a public service bureau, the organization is accountable to the taxpayer. The best method of influencing internal and external politics is through the principles of marketing communications and public relations. Internally, communications need to be as consistent as they are externally. The key to creating consistent and topical internal communications is through the creation and maintenance of organizational norms and a strong culture that supports those norms. Ethical behaviors, accountability, and empowerment are cornerstones of an organization that remains committed to the pursuit of genuine juvenile justice. Refraining from punitive approaches, the organization can effectively build partnerships with social work and mental health organizations, thereby building critical bridges in the outreach community.
External politics can be more challenging to manage, but through effective public relations and communications strategies, the Bureau can develop the type of reputation it needs to accomplish its goals with the support of citizens regardless of their political affiliations. Advertising, social media, and public speaking are all methods Bureau spokespeople can use to influence voters and encourage a new vision of juvenile justice throughout the state. All citizens ultimately want the same things: healthy, safe communities. When all stakeholders realize that goals are shared, then it becomes easier to forge alliances with policymakers to promote more effective restorative justice programs (Strang & Braithwaite, 2000). Restorative justice, alternative sentencing, and mental health interventions all require resources that the Bureau alone cannot generate without the help of politicians and special interest groups.
Improving Decision-Making
Equity, accuracy, consistency with theory, consistency with resources, and a future-orientation can all help improve organizational decision making. A “statewide continuum of care” model is recommended as the cornerstone of effective juvenile justice procedure (Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). Through a continuum of care model, equity and fairness are ensured as all juveniles processed through the system—and their families--have equal access to the services they need. The overarching principle of accuracy asks that Bureau leaders commit to ongoing assessments, to make sure the implemented policies and programs are yielding desired or intended results. Data is necessary to retain financial and human resources. Finally, the State Juvenile Bureau needs to orient itself towards the future, building a long-range vision and taking smaller and more reasonable steps to achieve incremental but meaningful change.




References

Cook County State’s Attorney (2018). Juvenile justice bureau. https://www.cookcountystatesattorney.org/juvenile-justice-bureau
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (2018). Youth parole bureau. http://dcfs.nv.gov/Programs/JJS/Youth-Parole-Bureau/
Strang, H. & Braithwaite, J. (2000). Restorative Justice. New York: Routledge.