Evidence-Based Practice: A Law Enforcement Responsibility
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Date
2018
Authors
Tillman, Fred
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT)
Abstract
Description
The relatively recent establishment and expansion of governmental social programs within past decades has resulted in a citizenry hostile to any new taxation, especially from the paradoxical viewpoint of monies benefiting the American justice system. Current criminal justice policies and programs are lacking a common-sense foundation built upon evidence-based practices (Mears, 2010). The criminal justice system, and by extension the policies under which it operates, is lacking research to support what society is undertaking with criminal justice policy, or to even question current practices regarding returns on public investments.
This lack of evidence-based practice would be questionable at best to any business model within the private sector where investment would be measured by returns and standardized means testing would be conducted throughout processes. Lack of integrity measures, methodologies, and accountability are topics of concern requiring focus in order to fix the broken criminal justice system. As proper stewardship is a responsibility assumed by any state entity as a public trust regarding expenditures of tax dollars, the justice system requires and demands a business model to follow to assure taxpayers are seeing a return for their investment, and subsequently, a fair and equitable justice system.
Keywords
Organizational behavior, organizational change