In conclusion, criminal justice policies play a crucial role in shaping societal norms and responses to crime. These policies, ranging from crime control to crime prevention, are essential guidelines created by the government to maintain order and ensure the safety of everyone. However, the implementation and impact of policies are not always straightforward, with unintended consequences sometimes leading to the re-evaluation of existing policies. Moral panics, agenda-setting, and framing in the media further influence public perceptions of crime and justice. The stages of policy development, including issue identification, agenda placement, policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation, provide a structured approach to crafting effective policies. Examining historical policies like colonialism and contemporary issues such as disproportionate minority contact, sentencing, and hate crimes highlights the ongoing evolution of criminal justice policies. As society grapples with the challenges and unintended outcomes of policies, continuous re-evaluation, and adaptation become crucial for fostering a fair and effective criminal justice system.

Learning Objectives

1. Examine the relationship between theory, research, and policy.
2. Identify the stages involved in creating policy.
3. Reflect on how current events and politics shape policy.

Review of Key Terms

• Cost-benefit evaluations: An analysis that seeks to determine if the costs of a policy are justified by the benefits accrued.
• Crime prevention: Any action designed to reduce the actual level of crime and/or the perceived fear of crime.
• Folk devils: People who are blamed for being allegedly responsible for the threat to society.
• Framing: When the media focuses on the broad categories, segments, or angles through which a story can be told, such as factual and interpretive claims that allow people to organize events and experiences into groups.
• Impact (outcome) evaluations: An investigation of what has changed after the introduction of a crime policy.
• Moral panic: When public fears and state interventions greatly exceed the objective threat posed to society by a particular individual or group
• Narratives: Pictures and popular stories that the public accepts and perceives as correct.
• Policy development: A process that typically begins with identifying the issue to be addressed by the proposed policy, and ends with evaluation to see whether the policy has resolved the issues.
• Process evaluation: Assessments that consider the implementation of a policy or program and involve determining the procedure used to implement the policy.

Self-Comprehension Check

Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion

“Conclusion” by Megan Gonzalez is adapted from “4: Criminal Justice Policy” by Alison S. Burke in SOU-CCJ230 Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System by Alison S. Burke, David Carter, Brian Fedorek, Tiffany Morey, Lore Rutz-Burri, and Shanell Sanchez, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Edited for style, consistency, recency, and brevity; added DEI content. Additional content by Roxie Supplee.