U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Conclusion: Paths to Police Reform -- Reflections on 25 Years of Change (From Police and Policing: Contemporary Issues, P 271-284, 1989, Dennis Jay Kenney, ed. -- See NCJ-121271)

NCJ Number
121293
Author(s)
S Walker
Date Published
1989
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This analysis of major police reforms in the United States in the last 25 years concludes that although many have failed, some have succeeded.
Abstract
Changes have been prompted by United States Supreme Court decisions, the crisis in police-community relations, and a real rise in serious crime. Reform strategies included efforts to improve police recruitment, training, and supervision; efforts to decentralize law enforcement operations; and efforts to change the broader environment of policing, including the definition of the police role and the legal environment. The results of the reform efforts indicate that improved training is important, but will be effective only in the context of improved management and supervision. In addition, recruiting different kinds of people into policing does not, by itself, change police behavior. Other findings are that improved supervision is crucial, that small rather than large changes in police organizational structures may succeed, that legal change has had a positive effect on policing, and that the reform process results from complex interactions between internal and external forces. 52 references.

Sale Source
Praeger Publishers
Address

88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881, United States

Publication Type
Issue Overview
Language
English
Country
United States of America