The Role of a Criminal Justice Administrator
A criminal justice administrator manages a criminal justice system. She directs the administration of the day-to-day operations, participates in administrative decision-making, enforces policies and procedures, and sets work flow priorities. Criminal justice administrators also oversee agencies' budget, policies and program requirements.
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Required Education and Training
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Training for a criminal justice administrator varies; generally, however, a person pursuing a career in criminal justice administration needs a bachelor's degree in sociology or criminal justice, or any concentration in the social sciences. Some positions, such as district attorney or lead prosecutor, require a law degree.
Staff Management
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Each public agency, according to its primary function, has a support team. The criminal justice administrator is in charge of supervising all agency staff; which can include lawyers, judicial clerks, secretaries, investigators and line officers. He reviews and approves their reports, as it is his responsibility to make sure all information is accurate and prepared in accordance with established policy and procedure.
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Liaison with Outside Agencies
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The criminal justice administrator runs the day-to-day operations of the criminal justice system. To be successful, she must maintain strong relationships with other agencies that have a shared mission and purpose.
Policy Decision Making
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The administrator's job in policy making is usually according to legal mandates. The criminal justice administrator effectively applies federal or state rules and regulations to agency policies and procedures.
For example, the administrator sets policy on coordinating the activities of social service or drug court programs.
Staff Development and Training
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Staff of criminal justice agencies are required to have a specific number of training sessions. The criminal justice administrator evaluates operations and, in the case of private agencies under contract to provide public criminal justice services, he oversees accreditation requirements and procedures.
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References
- Photo Credit Justice image by MVit from Fotolia.com
