Political Environment Case Study
Political Environment Case Study
Ursula Wilson
CJA/444
August 24, 2012 Monty Spencer
Political Environment Case Study
This case study forms a textbook example of how politics can have a negative effect on the development of policies and programs, especially concerning issues within the criminal justice system. The newly elected governor is a retired football player known for his status on the football field but he has no knowledge and lacks the ability totally to comprehend that the criminal justice system must move forward from only incarcerating criminals but to rehabilitation. The governor is not from the criminal justice field and does not know that the prison system is plagued by overcrowding and that is one critical issue that must change quickly.
Question One I would respond to the governor’s request to dismantle the programs in a professional manner by sending him a list of the pros and cons of how the programs are working. I would tell him that before he just shuts the programs down completely he should talk to some of the inmates the programs have helped, the staff at the prisons and the citizens living in the areas around the prisons. No, I would not automatically end any of my programs just because the new governor does not believe that the inmates should have a chance a bettering his or herself with the help of the state. I would not end any programs because I strongly believe that inmates want something worthwhile to do in prison like obtaining an education, learning a trade, and obtaining help in whatever emotional problems he or she may have. Prison should be more about rehabilitation than incarceration.
Question Two No, there is no room for negotiation with the governor because the programs that were already in place before the governor was elected are effective and are helping the inmates. There would be no trade
Ursula Wilson
CJA/444
August 24, 2012 Monty Spencer
Political Environment Case Study
This case study forms a textbook example of how politics can have a negative effect on the development of policies and programs, especially concerning issues within the criminal justice system. The newly elected governor is a retired football player known for his status on the football field but he has no knowledge and lacks the ability totally to comprehend that the criminal justice system must move forward from only incarcerating criminals but to rehabilitation. The governor is not from the criminal justice field and does not know that the prison system is plagued by overcrowding and that is one critical issue that must change quickly.
Question One I would respond to the governor’s request to dismantle the programs in a professional manner by sending him a list of the pros and cons of how the programs are working. I would tell him that before he just shuts the programs down completely he should talk to some of the inmates the programs have helped, the staff at the prisons and the citizens living in the areas around the prisons. No, I would not automatically end any of my programs just because the new governor does not believe that the inmates should have a chance a bettering his or herself with the help of the state. I would not end any programs because I strongly believe that inmates want something worthwhile to do in prison like obtaining an education, learning a trade, and obtaining help in whatever emotional problems he or she may have. Prison should be more about rehabilitation than incarceration.
Question Two No, there is no room for negotiation with the governor because the programs that were already in place before the governor was elected are effective and are helping the inmates. There would be no trade