The Ideal School of Thought for Anchoring Anti-Crime Efforts in Five Years

Based on a careful assessment of the potential dimension of crime in the next five years, it can be recommended that the systems approach is the best framework upon which efforts of fighting crime in the US should be based. The social systems school of thought was proposed and popularized by Ludwig von Bertalanffy, a biologist who thought it was possible to develop a systemic framework in theoretical terms to describe the relationships and similarities of various disciplines in the real world. In his study of organisms, Bertalanffy noted some similarities to all sciences; they focused on the whole organism, there was a tendency for organisms to strive to remain in a steady state, and each organism affects as well as is affected by its environment (Wren & Bedeian, 2009). Chester Barnard, George Homans and Philip Selznick contextualized the theory to management as a social system.

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A system is a set of inter-related and interdependent parts which interact with each other to achieve a pre-determined objective (Mele, Pels, & Polese, 2010; Wren & Bedeian, 2009). One needs to look at a problem as a product of failure in various aspects of the system and any action to address these problems is to examine the subsystems and parts of the system. This is because, as Bertalanffy observed, there are relationships and similarities between components of a larger system.

The systems theory is ideal for crime management if efforts to fight crime are offered by different players, including state and non-actors. For this reason, crime prevention should not be left only to security agencies. A multi-faceted approach which involves communities, neighborhoods, schools and universities, families must be actively be involved more in the fight against crime and not taken as mere reporters crime incidences. Setting community-based programs, for instance, can help communities to police crime in the absence of security agents. Similarly, people with petty offenses should be engaged more in programs that enlighten them on the need not to repeat crime and be productive instead of locking them up to finish their sentences. Accordingly, the systems theory suggests that an issue should be looked at holistically for sound management decisions to be made.

Systems management theory is also best suited in the fight against crime as it recommends for preventive measures. The strategy to adopt can be arrived by answering the question as to what motivates people into criminal activities. Research has shown that socioeconomic factors predispose people to illegal activities. When legitimate means of obtaining desirable goals in society are blocked by unjust political, economic, and social systems, people tend to opt for non-conventional ways to achieve goals such as prosperity, including involvement in crime. And this is common in low-income areas (Graif, Gladfelter, & Matthews, 2014). Thus, efforts to fight crime should include programs that give people opportunities to achieve their goals in life. In other words, the systems theory suggests that addressing institutional issues forcing people into crime can be critical reducing crime. So long as people feel cheated by the system and remain frustrated, they may not fear the repercussions of confronting security officers or facing jail terms.

Another important element of the systems theory which can be used in the fight against crime is dynamism. According to the theory, an organization is an adaptive system and, therefore, must evolve to effectively deal with the challenges of the environment in which it operates (Mele et al., 2010; Wren & Bedeian, 2009). Mele et al. (2010) describes the environment as a set of human actions and the effort of organizations to make sense of such activities. Put simply, when people change how to do things, then revision of the current strategy is important. In the coming days, crime is likely to become a complex issue as technology advances. The use of digital technology has given criminal new tools of committing crimes us as drug trafficking and terrorism. Today, criminals and terrorists can distribute material over social media. This means that security agencies must evolve faster to acquire the capabilities of dealing with new challenges.

Changes that Should be Implemented in the Police Department

Following recent controversy involving police, attitude modification of police officers towards members of minority communities such as blacks is necessary can be helpful in addressing the situation. Across the nation, the number of arrests and convictions of blacks is proportionately high compared to other races (Lopez, 2017). The shootings of Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Brotham Jean, and Antwon Rose are some of the recent cases where police have been accused of using unnecessary force on members of black communities evidence suggests that black offenders are twice more likely to serve longer sentences for similar offences compared to whites (Lopez, 2017). The incidents indicate an attitude issue both on the part of the police and members of black communities which need urgent attention to prevent unjustified shootings and unfair.

Amendment of laws to obligate police officers to take responsibility for their actions is also the change needed for police to account for their actions. This should also include criminal procedures that govern police relationships with prosecutors who often rely on the police version of statements to prefer charges against suspected offenders. The subjective relationship between prosecutors and police have been cited as one of the main reason as to why even cases of open violation of the law do not lead to any conviction of police lawbreakers (Lopez, 2017). For instance, an introduction of cameras on police officers on duty can provide additional perspectives cases where police officers act in a manner that is suspected to have contravened the law. The video can also prevent scenarios where police officers and prosecutors shield errant police officers.

The best leadership theory that can be applied in introducing reforms in the police is the Max Weber's bureaucratic school of thought. Weber held the view that bureaucratic organizations operate under strict rules and regulations which govern the actions and behaviors of leaders and subordinates. He also proposed the concept of hierarchy where a lower office was subject to control by a higher office based on the rules and regulations. Here, relationships are governed by rules and activities of the organizations are properly documented for future references (Merz, 2011 Wren & Bedeian, 2009). Such rules fit in the command culture of the police force.

The piloting of camera use among New York Police is a perfect example of the effectiveness of bureaucracy. Already the program has faced some resistance from certain quarters of the police force. According to Southall (2017), top leaders suggest that using a strong chain of command is the best strategy to ensure that officers embrace the cameras and also stifle resistance. In such an environment, the approach can be useful in that subordinates have to obey rules, or else they face punitive consequences and this what Max Weber envisaged in his theory of bureaucratic management. Meanwhile, positive attitude building programs can be incorporated into the training of the police to address the issue of prejudice in the criminal justice system. The programs may include lessons for police officers and other security agents on black history to enable them to understand the racial complexion of crime and crime prevention in the US. Again this can only be implemented in a system of hierarchy and strict adherence to rules and regulations as in the case of police.

References

Graif, C., Gladfelter, A. S., & Matthews, S. A. (2014). Urban poverty and neighborhood effects on crime: Incorporating spatial and network perspectives. Sociology Compass, 8(9), 1140-1155. doi:10.1111/soc4.12199

Lopez, G. (2017, November 17). Report: black men get longer sentences for the same federal crime as white men. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/11/17/16668770/us-sentencing-commission-race-booker

Mele, C., Pels, J., & Polese, F. (2010). A brief review of systems theories and their managerial applications. Service Science, 2(1-2), 126-135. doi:10.1287/serv.2.1_2.126

Merz, F. (2011). Max weber's theory of bureaucracy and its negative consequences. Munich, Germany: GRIN Verlag.

Southall, A. (2017). Do body cameras help policing? 1,200 New York officers aim to find out. The New York Times, The New York Times.

Wren, D. A., & Bedeian, A. G. (2009). The evolution of management thought (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, John and Sons.