The Role of Leaders in Criminal Justice Essay Example for Free

The Role of Leaders in Criminal Justice Essay Criminal justice is a system in which legislations and organizations are enacted to maintain social order and punish violators of the law. It is a field of criminology involving the study of crime including causes, criminal behavior and other aspects of it (Nuocleous, 2004, pp 93-94). It is composed of law enforcement, courts and corrections. Although criminal justice is inclined more into the legislative body, leaders in its role in governance, contributes greatly in prevention of crime. Leaders should be empowered in order to administer justice to prevent crime (Tshehla, 2005, p 1). However, given this important role of leaders in crime prevention, there are organizational conflicts between or among municipalities or amongst the people themselves. An example of this is the conflict that usually arises between a community leader and his local councilor for instance. This usually happens because of the overlapping roles in the absence of concrete guidelines that will distinguish the tasks that one must undertake. Because of this, the two parties see each other as a constant hindrance in undertaking their jobs. This also mainly causes leaders to be hesitant in getting themselves involved in the operational and technical side of crime prevention (Tshehla, 2005, pp 3-6). Given the importance of both parties in the effectiveness of crime prevention, leaders and their legislative counterparts should have a clear understanding of the roles that they are ought to play to be able to efficiently cater to the needs of the community that they are serving. Communication among leaders, their legislative counterparts and the police sector must first and foremost be given adequate importance to become effective law enforcers. References: Neocleous, Mark (2004). Fabricating Social Order: A Critical History of Police Power. London: Pluto Press, ISBN. Tshehla, Boyane. 2005. Traditional leaders’ role in justice and crime prevention. Published for Institute for Security Studies.