The Criminal Justice Policy the Last 20 Years Essay

The Criminal Justice Policy the Last 20 Years - Essay Example In many circumstances, this system has failed to hold offenders accountable, reduce crime, help the victims or even operate with efficiency (Ismaill, 2011, 152-9). The system has many ‘black box’ dealings which contribute too little evidence on the procedures of implementing the policies. Moreover, it has led to problems associated with risks, for instance, increase in crime rates, the victimization on community policing, continuing injustices and the inefficiencies in regards to its operation with information or evidence with less credibility. The criminal justice system has many failure points due to limited training provided for criminal justice officials, practitioners, the various agencies in which it operates and to the researchers (Mears, 2010, 61-9). Evaluation research would help the policymakers in making decisions on whether to design, adopt, reject or improve a given criminal justice policy. Â  The criminal justice system policies are costly. The politicians are lacking appropriate research evaluation strategies and thus could spend billions of dollars in policies that may not be needed by the people or just policies which may not operate as expected (Ismaill, 2011, 152-9). A policy based on research evaluation is a solid start for accountability of the system and reliance on strategies based on evidence (Mears, 2010, 61-9). This also forms a firm foundation for cost-effectiveness in the administration of justice, enables the offenders to be helpful members in the society, enhances the prevalence of justice, and helps in assisting the victims of injustice and the communities impacted on by criminal acts. The public and the policymakers always demand a criminal justice system which is credible, accountable and cost-effective. Â  The number of offenders has significantly risen over the last twenty years (Mears, 2010, 61-9).