understanding of organizational behavior in a criminal justice agency. Describe what you believe are important elements of organizational behavior and how these elements can impact the effectiveness of the agency.

Community Policing and Neighborhood Cooperation The Importance of Restorative Justice in an Organization A threatened attack upon these values [of society] places us in an attitude of defense , and as this defense is largely intrusted to the operation of the laws of the land we gain a respect for the laws which is in proportion to the goods which they defend . There is , however another attitude more easily aroused under these conditions which is , I think , largely responsible for our respect for law as law . I refer to the attitude of hostility

to the lawbreaker as an enemy to the society to which it belongs . In this attitude we are defending the social structure against an enemy with all the animus which the threat to our own interests calls out . It is not the detailed operation of the law in defining the invasion of rights and their proper preservation that is the center of our interest but the capture and punishment of the personal enemy , who is also the public enemy . The law is the bulwark of our interests , and the hostile procedure against the enemy arouses a feeling of attachment due to the means put at our disposal for satisfying the hostile impulse . The law has become the weapon for overwhelming the thief of our purses , our good names , or even of our lives . We feel toward it as we feel toward the police officer who rescues us from a murderous assault . The respect for the law is obverse side of our hatred for the criminal aggressor . Furthermore the court procedure , after the man accused of the crime is put under arrest and has been brought to trial , emphasizes this emotional attitude . The state 's attorney seeks a conviction . The aggrieved person and the community find in this officer of the government their champion . A legal battle takes the place of the former physical struggle which lead up to the arrest . The emotions called out are the emotions of battle . The impartiality of the court who sits as the adjudicator is the impartiality of the umpire between the contending parties . The assumption that contending parties will each do his utmost to win places upon each , even upon the state 's attorney , the obligation to get a verdict for his own side rather than to bring about a result which will be for the best interests of all concerned . The doctrine that the strict enforcement of the law in this fashion is for the best interest of all concerned has no bearing upon the point which I am trying to emphasize . This point is that the emotional attitude of the injured individual and of the other party to the proceedings - the community - towards the law is that engendered by the hostile enterprise in which the law has become the ponderous weapon of defense and attack (Mead 1918

George Herbert Mead puts into perspective the other side of Restorative Justice , this being punitive justice . In this manner of handling criminals the public enemy , an attack is waged with no redemption directly to the injured person and the community . Instead a community will strive to be less peaceful and strict , being indoctrinated by the ways of punitive justice . Restorative justice provides more peaceful solutions and the criminal justice system can provide a sense of community pride through allow a forum to speak about the injuries to persons and property and how the entire neighborhood is affected . In essence , PEACE is promoted rather than hostile reactions and alienation of individuals . The organizational behavior will vary from agency to agency , but the structure of the criminal justice system will be that of either punitive or restorative

Criminologist Alan Wilson has pointed out that only two ways

exist to control behavior and deter crime (1 ) by relying on police

officers and the courts or (2 ) by promoting collective morals and

sanctions . Any society that comes to rely exclusively on the

former to enforce safety is doomed for there will never be enough

police officers to go around (Noguera , 1996 So then , communities must get involved collectively to promote proper sanctions , those which would better promote all involved , victims and offenders . In essence the value system of a community needs to be ever-changing with the community itself . While neighborhoods are becoming more multi-cultural and awareness of personal differences may be lacking , education and understanding is an essential component of restorative justice . Fear of the differences of others AND of the police , there to serve and protect only hinder restorative justice Community policing needs to be a part of this process , as well as strong neighborhood groups . The integration issue of organizational behavior in the criminal justice system is important to note as well and cultural competency classes /seminars can ameloriate this problem

Schools and communities are on the forefront of restorative justice as far as prevention is concerned and community policing should abide by a restorative justice model to be a part of prevention , as well . The courts should be secondary . If individuals can and do contribute to their own success and communities develop their own value systems , the courts would not need be involved

Crime is best controlled when members of the community are

the primary controllers through active participation in shaming

offenders , and having shamed them , through concerted

participation in .integrating the offender back in to the

community .Low Crime societies where people do not mind

their own business , where tolerance of deviance has definite

limits , where communities prefer to handle their own crime

problems rather than hand them over to professionals

(University of Minnesota , 1997 .So , both these micro-level and macro-level approaches in the organizational structure of criminal justice must be utilized for restorative justice to work . Families , schools , and communities must regain their values and learn to value others . If communities and /or community policing cannot provide and promote their own sanctions , then the courts must get involved with an emphasis on the impact of a crime on both the victim and the community . Punitive justice only emphasizes hatred of the public enemy ' and is in no way conducive to healthy communities . On the macro-level governmental structures must provide jobs and proper healthcare among other essential services for basic human needs . Restorative justice IS the only way to proactively and actively strive for healthy communities and in turn a healthy global community References .Noguero ,

. The Critical State of Violence Prevention : Alternatives to `Get Tough ' Measures can Produce Students with a Sense of Community from The School Administrator . February , 1996 . pp . 8-13

Mead , G .H (1918 "The Psychology of Punitive Justice , American Journal of Sociology 23 : 577-602

University of Minnesota Balanced and Restorative Justice Project (August , 1997 . Balanced and Restorative Justice for Juveniles : A Framework for Juvenile Justice in the 21st Century p...