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TQM (Total Quality Management) and All That Jazz: Rejuvenating Juvenile Justice

NCJ Number
163284
Journal
Juvenile Justice Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall/Winter 1993) Pages: 16-21
Author(s)
T R English
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Concepts such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and reinvention have the potential to address many of the problems of the juvenile justice system, especially when integrated with the social development model and the work of the Balanced Approach/Restorative Justice (BA/RJ) group.
Abstract
One of the essential points of the TQM approach developed by W. Edward Deming is that the top-down organizational design generates defects. TQM requires every employee, from managers to line staff, to determine whether their operations and activities are helping to achieve the organization's mission. TQM applied to the juvenile justice system helps to identify new and better ways of implementing the juvenile justice system's mission; for example, the BA/RJ project is creating new approaches that can significantly broaden the range of juvenile justice programs and service, including model systems for community supervision of juvenile offenders. The Balanced Approach focuses on three objectives: competency development, accountability, and community protection; it aims to strike a balance between the needs of victims, offenders, and the community. The BA/RJ team believes that community support is essential to the success of juvenile justice programs. In seeking to reinvent juvenile justice, the symphony orchestra can be a guiding metaphor. In an orchestra, many different musicians and instruments contribute to the presentation of a musical work. Perhaps an even better model for a new juvenile justice system would be the jazz band. Jazz requires both ensemble playing and individual initiative. Each musician must be adept at handling lead and supporting roles. Jazz also requires improvisation, i.e., an ability to build on the original melody and create new notes and themes. The time has come to abandon the one-man-band approach in which juvenile justice is managed by a mega-agency and instead emulate the creative harmony and innovative improvization of a jazz band. 17 notes, 8 annotated supplemental readings, and 3 annotated OJJDP publications

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