Contemporary issue in criminal justice administration

 


Critically analyze a contemporary issue in criminal justice administration, evaluating its impact, ethical considerations, and practical implications. Students will conduct a case study examining real-world examples of interagency collaboration within the criminal justice system. The focus will be on how administrators manage partnerships across sectors—such as law enforcement, courts, corrections, and social services—to address complex social issues (e.g., mental health, substance abuse, victim services, or reentry). Students will evaluate administrative challenges, policy implications, and the impact of these collaborations on justice outcomes.

1. Interagency Collaboration in Law Enforcement: 
1. Analyze a police-led initiative that collaborates with social services (e.g., Crisis Intervention teams, co-responder models) to address mental health crises, substance abuse, or homelessness.
2. Evaluate the administrative structures that support or hinder the partnership and its impact.
4. 
2.

• Provide a concise overview of the selected case, its significance, and key issues related to interagency collaboration and social service integration.
Section 2:  Problem Analysis (2-3 pages)
• Examine the core challenges in the case, focusing on: 
o Administrative Leadership: How criminal justice administrators facilitate or hinder collaboration.
o Policy and Legal Considerations: Relevant laws, policies, or mandates that shape the collaboration.
o Social Issues Addressed: How the initiative tackles underlying social problems (e.g., mental health, substance abuse, victimization).
Section 3:  Interagency and Social Service Evaluation (2-3 pages)
• Assess the effectiveness of interagency coordination.
• Evaluate communication, resource sharing, and policy alignment between justice agencies and social services.
• Identify challenges such as organizational culture clashes, funding limitations, or conflicting priorities.
 

This structure supports the partnership by formally integrating social services into the initial emergency response, providing clinical expertise at the point of crisis, and dramatically reducing unnecessary arrests and use of force.

Section 2: Problem Analysis

Core Challenges in the STAR Model

Administrative Leadership

Criminal justice administrators often face tension between public safety mandates and the need for social service integration.

Facilitation: In Denver, leaders facilitated the program by investing political capital to secure initial funding and creating a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DPD and DDPHE. Crucially, they trained 911 dispatchers and police supervisors to trust the clinical judgment of the STAR team, overcoming the administrative tendency to rely on enforcement as the default response.

Hindrance (Potential): Collaboration is hindered by the "silo" mentality often found in large bureaucracies. If police leadership views STAR as simply "dumping" social problems onto another department rather than an integrated strategy, resource allocation, expansion, and long-term commitment will suffer. Furthermore, the pressure to meet crime reduction metrics can tempt administrators to revert to traditional enforcement methods.

Sample Answer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interagency Collaboration in Law Enforcement: The Co-Responder Model

Concise Overview: The Denver STAR (Support Team Assisted Response) Program

The Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program in Denver, Colorado, serves as an excellent case study of police-led interagency collaboration to address mental health crises and homelessness.

Selected Case: The STAR program deploys a two-person, non-police team—typically a mental health clinician and a paramedic or EMT—to respond to low-level, non-violent 911 calls involving individuals experiencing issues related to mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, or extreme poverty.

 

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