Chapter Two – The Structure of
Criminal Justice Organizations
 Define three major differences between the open system and the
closed system.
 Define hierarchical and organic.
 Define the major differences between centralized and
decentralized organizations.
 Define organizational mission, policy, and procedure.
 Understand the basics of agency budgeting.
 Understand the difference between the formal and informal
structure of an organization.
 Understand the role of administration in promoting agency
ethics.
 Understand agencies through the four frames perspective.
 Criminal justice organizations vary greatly in size,
structure and purpose.
 Criminal justice organizations are compared by:
o Their organizational models
• Hierarchical versus Organic
o Their structural dimensions
•
•
•
•
•
•
Task specialization
Formalization
Span of control
Centralization versus Decentralization
Complexity
Allocation of line and staff personnel
Hierarchical
Organic
 Structurally rigid-clear
chain of command.
 Leadership exists within
supervisor/subordinate
relationships.
 Function best in stable or
predictable environments.
 Communications is
vertical and downward.
 Loosely connectedauthority is diffused.
 Leadership is more peeroriented.
 Can function efficiently in
unstable or unpredictable
environments.
 Communication is
horizontal.
Hierarchical
Organic
 Focus on processes,
procedures, and rules.
 Decision making and
conflict resolution come
from the top.
 Workers perform narrowly
defined (specialized)
tasks.
 Responsibility is
individually based.
 Focus on results.
 Decision making and
conflict resolution can
come from anywhere.
 Workers may perform a
number of tasks.
 Responsibility may be
team based.
 Task Specialization – the process of dividing work
processes unto smaller tasks.
o Narrowly defined work tasks = high task
specialization
o Broadly defined work tasks = low task
specialization
 Formalization – the establishment of written rules
and regulations that govern the work activities.
o High levels of formalization (many rules)
o Low levels of formalization (few rules)
 Span of Control – the number of subordinates
reporting to a supervisor.
o Wide (more subordinates per supervisor)
o Narrow (few subordinates per supervisor)
 Centralization versus Decentralization
o In centralized organizations important
decisions are made by upper managers.
o In decentralized organizations important
decisions are made in the lower levels.
 Complexity – defined by the number of units within
an organization.
o Vertical complexity – number of levels in the chain of
command (tall organizations).
o Horizontal complexity – number of units across the
organization (flat organizations).
 Line/Staff Allocation – the balance between line and
staff personnel.
o Line employees ‘exist’ within the chain of command.
o Staff employees ‘exist’ outside the chain of command.
 The ideal bureaucracy has;
o A written mission that is logically implemented by,
o Policies and procedures,
o Performed by employees who;
• Understand and accept the mission,
• Have a working knowledge of the policies and
procedures, and
• Carry out their tasks in accordance with their job
descriptions.
 A mission is a statement of an organization’s;
o Common purpose,
o Continuing purpose for existing,
o Ideology,
o Values, and
o Operating principles (Houston and Parsons, 2006).
 Provides clear understanding of an agency’s purpose,
goals, and objectives.
 Declares an agency’s values and operating philosophy.
 Provides employees with a basis for ethical decision
making.
 Helps keep an organization’s daily activities focused.
 Policy – a clear statement that defines what action
is to be taken and why. Policies include a;
o Statement of purpose,
o Required action, and
o Rationale for that purpose.
 Procedure – step-by-step descriptions of the
activities that agency members need to follow to
achieve the objective or goal put forth by a policy.
 Criminal justice organizations acquire
resources through a process that is cyclical,
formal, and political.
 Line-item budgeting is the most common
form.
 Periodically, the agency must submit to an
audit to determine whether they have spent
the funds appropriately.
 The goals, activities, or structures that are not
officially acknowledged by an organization.
 The informal structure may be a product of an
organization’s actual culture and includes;
o The informal communications system – the
grapevine or rumor mill.
o Informal work groups – loosely knit teams organized
on an ad hoc basis.
o Informal leadership – individuals with a great deal of
expertise and communication skills.
 Organizations can be analyzed effectively
when viewed through four frames or
perspectives (Bolman and Deal, 2003).
 Each frame describes distinctive attributes
of an organization.
 Viewing organizations through these frames
helps locate problems within the
organization.
 Structural frame – the organizational hierarchy,
division of labor, job descriptions, mission, policies,
procedures, etc.
 Human resource frame – assumes organizations
exist to serve human rather than organizational needs.
 Political frame – views organization as a place in
which interest groups compete for scarce resources.
 Symbolic frame – views organizations as tribes,
theater, or carnivals in which organizational culture is
driven by ritual, ceremonies, stories, heroes, and
myths rather than be managerial authority.
 Closed systems are hierarchical, formal, and mechanistic.
 Open systems are informal and organic. They rely on
professionalism.
 Hierarchy refers to an agency’s chain of command.
 The term organic describes loosely structured professional
organizations.
 In centralized organizations, authority and decision
making is at the top of the structure.
 In decentralized organizations, authority and decision
making are generally founded at the lower levels of the
structure.
 Mission is a statement of the organization’s purpose.
 Policies explain what needs to be done to achieve the
mission.
 Procedures are step by step directions on how to
implement policies.
 Public agencies request funds to operate from the political
entities they serve.
 Budgets need to be approved, implemented, and audited
for compliance.
 Informal structure refers to the purpose, goals, and
activities that are not officially acknowledged.
 The formal structure refers to the officially recognized
arrangement of the organization.
 Administrators have a duty to operate ethically and to
indoctrinate agency members with organizational ethics.
 Viewing organizations through structural, human
resources, political, and symbolic frames provides a unique
analytical perspective.
 After years of civil rights litigation, labor union
disputes and political change, the Bigton Police
Department has hired a new chief from another
department in the hopes of making some changes.
 This new chief is given the authority (and
responsibility) to make significant changes to
improve the department.
 Using the four frames model (Bolman and Deal,
2003) develop a list of questions within each of
the four frames that the chief might use to identify
the source of this agency’s problems.