CJG-609: Leadership and Decision Making in Criminal Justice

This course serves as a capstone course for the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice degree, providing an opportunity for the integration of information offered in the program and its relationship to emergent issues. This course focuses on the relationship between leaders and various constituencies with a focus on effective and ethical leadership practices. Theoretical concepts regarding leadership in organizations, including its origins, aspects, and consequences will be examined along with problems and alternative solutions in criminal justice management. The case study method and current readings provide a mixture of practical and educational experience intended to foster and disseminate new ideas for management strategies, especially as this is impacted by leadership styles, human resources, and the environment. Decision making and policy formulation in organizations will be examined and this will include goal setting and the planning process., rational models of decision making, valuation of alternatives, prediction of outcome, cost-benefit analysis, decision trees, uncertainty and risk assessment, and procedures for evaluation of outcomes. Students will complete a significant project incorporating the major elements of the course.