• Why is research important to policy making?
• What are some of the challenges associated with policy making in the criminal justice field?
• What are some of the benefits of conducting policy analysis?

 

Research in important in policy making as it forms the basis in which the policy makers in which the policymakers get to know what is best for a given context in making better decisions with provided evidences. Research is vital for the identification of critical problems, researching and the determination of the benefits and the harm associated with the chosen policies.

There are several challenges associated with policy making in the criminal justice field:

1.      The concerns and problems associated with drug use and the crime cycle. The major problem is on the figuring out the implications it has on the policy making

2.      The concern on high rate of incarceration. There is need to determine why this is the case as this is a huge issue. It also impacts on the economy since a lot of finances are spend in the correctional facilities

3.      The concern on youth in the criminal justice system. there is need for reexamination of the juvenile justice system so as to come up with the best policy to deal with the rising number of youth in the juvenile justice

Some of the benefits of conducting policy analysis include:

1.      It is an helpful way of helping the policy makers under the ways in which social, economic and political conditions change in the society and the manner in which the policies change  and evolve to meet the changing society's needs

2.      Policy analysis is beneficial as it facilitates and promotes sound policy selection and enhances improvement on the policies

3.      Policy analysis offers the selection of the best means of the formulation, the adaptation and the implementation of the policy to best deal with the concern it is aimed at