1. CRIMINAL JUSTICE Chapter Twelve Administration and Management
Stojkovic/Kalinich/Klofas
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Administration and Management
Chapter Twelve
DECISION MAKING

2. What Is a Decision? ● A theory or broad framework guides most
decisions.
● Decision-making involves consideration of:
○ alternatives
○ possible consequences
○ information about the subject of the decision
● At the other extreme are quantitative decision
rules involving the assignment of numerical
weights to pieces of information which, when
summed, dictate the decision. 2

3. What Is a Decision? ● The processing of information according to
decision rules produces outcomes.
● In cybernetic (self-correcting) decision models,
the outcome of prior decisions provides
feedback to influence future decisions through
its influence on:
○ theory;
○ decision rules; and/or
○ information. 3

4. Decision-Making Theory
● Increasingly rational criminal justice decisions
depend on:
○ increasing consistency in theory;
○ increasing agreement on goals and decision
rules; and
○ improving quality of information.
● Scholars of decision making once believed the
process to be:
○ rational and
○ capable of producing optimal results or
“correct” answers for given situations. 4

5. Decision-Making Theory
● Bounded rationality suggests that:
○ many decisions in criminal justice are
characterized by volumes of information;
○ information is selectively collected and
interpreted; and
○ decision processes are influenced by the
agencies of the criminal justice system itself.
● Satisfycing—the attainment of acceptable
rather than optimal results—thus becomes a
useful concept in criminal justice. 5

6. Decision-Making Theory
● Stability and routinization of decision-making are products of bounded rationality.
○ Bounded rationality also recognizes
decision makers’ cognitive limitations.
○ Both satisfycing and garbage can decision
making are bounded by organizational
culture.
○ Organizational culture is defined as ready-
made answers to problems, or a set of
basic assumptions and beliefs shared by
members that are taken for granted. 6

7. Decision-Making Theory
● Internal and external politics affect decision
making.
○ Internal politics: The influences caused by
conflicting individuals and groups within the
organization.
○ External politics: The influence that outside
parties have on the organization’s mission
and the direction the organization takes. 7

8. Characteristics of Decision Makers
● Sequentialist decision makers:
○ use their experience to determine what
information is most important and
○ consider items one at a time in a
sequential fashion, based on their view
of what item is most important.
● Ah yes! decision makers:
○ collect large amounts of information,
and
○ search for patterns in that information. 8

9. Characteristics of Decision Makers
● Decision makers in criminal justice:
○ often make certain assumptions about
the people involved and
○ often structure their data by resorting to
precedent, enabling them to categorize
cases in ways that allow the cases to be
“handled in the usual way.” 9

10. Decision-Making Styles
● Decision-making styles include:
○ Directive
○ Analytical
○ Conceptual
○ Behavioral
● Decision-making styles can also be seen on a
continuum from:
○ autocratic (boss centered), to
○ laissez faire (totally subordinate centered) 10

11. Characteristics of Information
● Decisions are influenced by:
○ Information accuracy
○ Order effect
○ The availability of information pertaining
to alternatives
● The introduction of alternatives (i.e.,
diversion, prerelease options, shortened
parole review dates) could alter decision
outcomes in a less conservative direction. 11

12. Discretion ● Atkins and Pogrebin: Discretion applies to situations
in which an official has latitude to make authoritative
choices not necessarily specified within the source
of authority which governs his decision making.
● Latitude in decision making by frontline staff is a
defining characteristic of human service agencies.
● Critics of discretionary decision making argue that it
often amounts to a total lack of control.
● Belief that discretion is necessary is now common
in criminal justice.
● Some suggest that discretion in the human services
is needed due to the complexity of the task. 12

13. Prediction ● The prediction of human behavior is generally
thought of as a highly rational scientific process.
● Even the lack of expertise of nonexperts making
predictive decisions is generally not viewed as
detracting from the rationality of the process.
● Many criminal justice decisions involve prediction
of future behavior.
● Predictive methodologies include clinical and
statistical methods
● Current criminal justice literature reveals a
preference for statistical predictive methods. 13

14. Improving Criminal Justice Decisions
● Important themes in criminal justice decision making
include:
○ Equity
○ Accuracy
○ Consistency with theory
○ Consistency with resources
○ Contribution to future decisions
● These themes should be considered in ideas for
influencing the decision-making process. 14

15. Improving Criminal Justice Decisions
● Decision makers should frame decisions as
probability estimates so that:
○ the accuracy of those estimates can then be
checked against actual behavior and
○ policy can dictate the outcome of decisions when
probability estimates are made explicit.
● Dichotomous outcomes should be avoided.
● To make the improvement of decision making an
evolutionary process, decision makers should have
feedback about past decisions they have made. 15