In 1961 President Eisenhower warned that the government needed to guard against the influence of the military industrial complex (Kraska 206). He knew there was potential for the rise of misplaced power (206). Much like the military, the criminal justice has seen the rise of an industrial complex within its system. Kraska defines an industrial complex as when the “private sector involvement and influence blends with public sector organizations and objectives,” (196). The criminal justice industrial complex views the criminal justice system as an entity whose primary purpose is to actively pursue self-serving agendas of survival and growth. This orientation impacts public policies in several ways, including how different industries work together
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J. Lilly tells us “subgovernments are not a legally recognized form of government, but they often exert greater influence over public policy than formal structures of government,” and are defined as “clusters of individuals that effectively make most of the routine decisions in a given substantive area of policy,” (206-07). In simpler terms, this means that small groups of highly influential people often have more power over the policies that govern what is considered a crime and what is not than established governments do. These subgovernments operate with a low level of visibility and high degree of effectiveness from the point of view of those inside the subgovernment (207). Members of subgovernments work closely and no single actor is powerful enough to stop the alliance when major participants are united (207). One example of this is the American Bar Association, (ABA) which has enormous influence over correctional policy through code revision …show more content…
The ACA is involved in all correctional activities, from publishing corrections-related materials to the training of personnel (Kraska 210). The ACA exerts most of its influence by setting standards (212). These standards cover areas including “security and control, food service, sanitation and hygiene, medical and health care, inmate rights, work programs, educational programs, recreational activities, library services, records and personnel issues” (212). The ACA also sets standards dealing with crowding, cell size and recreational space (212). The reliance of government agencies and private contractors on the ACAs standards promotes a close working relationship between these entities (212). This reliance shows the ability of private organizations to influence public policy.
The decision making of these subgovernments “rests within a closed circle or elite of government bureaucrats, agency heads, interest groups and private interests that gain from the allocation of public resources,” (207). Due to these private interests, “each subgovernment features a distinct overlap between the social interest and the government bureaucracy,” (207). These overlaps leave room for private companies to enter and solve problems for both sides, resulting in the privatization of the criminal justice
J. Lilly tells us “subgovernments are not a legally recognized form of government, but they often exert greater influence over public policy than formal structures of government,” and are defined as “clusters of individuals that effectively make most of the routine decisions in a given substantive area of policy,” (206-07). In simpler terms, this means that small groups of highly influential people often have more power over the policies that govern what is considered a crime and what is not than established governments do. These subgovernments operate with a low level of visibility and high degree of effectiveness from the point of view of those inside the subgovernment (207). Members of subgovernments work closely and no single actor is powerful enough to stop the alliance when major participants are united (207). One example of this is the American Bar Association, (ABA) which has enormous influence over correctional policy through code revision …show more content…
The ACA is involved in all correctional activities, from publishing corrections-related materials to the training of personnel (Kraska 210). The ACA exerts most of its influence by setting standards (212). These standards cover areas including “security and control, food service, sanitation and hygiene, medical and health care, inmate rights, work programs, educational programs, recreational activities, library services, records and personnel issues” (212). The ACA also sets standards dealing with crowding, cell size and recreational space (212). The reliance of government agencies and private contractors on the ACAs standards promotes a close working relationship between these entities (212). This reliance shows the ability of private organizations to influence public policy.
The decision making of these subgovernments “rests within a closed circle or elite of government bureaucrats, agency heads, interest groups and private interests that gain from the allocation of public resources,” (207). Due to these private interests, “each subgovernment features a distinct overlap between the social interest and the government bureaucracy,” (207). These overlaps leave room for private companies to enter and solve problems for both sides, resulting in the privatization of the criminal justice