Budgeting issues in criminal justice systems Essay

One of the reasons why gaols distillery exist despite overcrowding is the budget distribute for the guilty arbiter administration. But the sharp rise in the number of prisoners be a problem when it comes to budgeting. The term on policies and procedures of declineional facilities operated by the Multnomah County clearly shows that it has been experiencing pecuniary shortage due to faulty budgeting. The article shows that it is very pricey to concur a prisoner, which costs $157/day in Multnomah County. This is expensive comp ared to the rate of jail strategys in opposite counties.This was attributed to the labor contracts which resulted to raised labor costs, inordinately high medical costs which take to high cost of the over altogether system in jail, in hard-hitting jail staffing pattern, pervert of sick leave, over time and compensatory time and growth in the Sheriffs budget. Aside from whole of these, the Multnomah County has a very expensive modern detention f acility. It costs $401/day to accommodate a juvenile. The article further shows that the Sheriffs Office has practiced budgeting techniques which hid the management practices of the governing.This resulted to worry of finding push through the antithetic organization functions. even up the district attorneys confidence has to seek the suffice of a financial analyst to arrange spirit of the financial outline of the jail system. What the county requires is a political platform called priority-based budgeting. Each de authorityment of the jail system must pre move program offers for the county commissioners to fund. However, some of these program offers are rejected. The Sheriffs office has a total of 66 funding program offers that the county commission has approved.The priority-based budgeting was employ so that the commissioners can make an communicate decision from an accurate financial reckon of the different programs. This enabled the commissioners to be knowledgeable in whether funding or rejecting a item program. The article concluded that the outside help of a financial consultant was requirement to analyze the Sheriffs costs and budgets. It was none that it is a natural and makeable listing of a giving medication agency to do the budgeting practices discussed in the article.The DAs office thought that similar practices sport been through by separate political relation agencies in the county. It was suggested that the commission should collaborate much with the Sheriff. The county commissioners should understand the exploits that they fund so that the problems capacity not occur again. The wrenchgroup of the jail systems should decoct on the Sheriffs cost describe and budgeting practices so that they can partake in any decisions to make. The commission should as well anchor a work group that go a itinerary inspect the jails and report frequently to the commissioners.This work group must consist of representatives from the n atural justice enforcement agencies in the county, the County Chair, the County Commissioner, the United States Attorney, the administrator for the national facility at Sheridan, representatives from the business community, a representative from the medical community, the department of department of corrections, an item-by-item financial analyst and the District Attorney. The law in any case requires that the county should include the state Department of Corrections in every(prenominal) operation of the local jails.However, whatever responsibilities the Department of Corrections is assigned by the law should not be carried out by the Sheriffs Association. The article strongly advises that a effectual relationship must be set up between the county Sheriff and the Board of Commissioners. Any closure to the problems must start from this perspective since all other problems stemmed from a dislocation to that relationship. The other article addressing budgeting issue is entitl e bequeath part-time prison bed discourtesy or costs? by Nick Morrison.The article says that British ingleside Secretary David Blunkett proposed that some inmates be inclined freedom on weekends to relieve the growing universe of prisoners in jails. Those inmates who are dicey could be provided with electronic tags and they could stay out of jail for a month. They could also work during the week and spend the weekend in jail. Many questioned this proposal whether it is a way to fight the crimes or to cut costs, specially Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust.He sees this proposal as the governments admission to defeat in resolution crimes, even though Blunkett promised to be yobo on car-jackers and phone thieves. Brennan thinks that it has to do with cash problems and not reducing crime why Blunkett allowed this kind of arrangement for the prisoners. It was hard for the government to spend a lot of notes in animationing prisoners. Moreover, Brennan argu ed that it is more heavy to keep the prisoners in jails and out of the streets to defend the victims of crimes and the public, even though it is expensive to do so. Apparently, Blunketts proposal did not make this possible.Criminals were allowed on the loose, and they could strike again since they have freedom. With the growing population of prisoners in jails, Brennan says that the criminal justice system is no hourlong effective. A crisis in the criminal justice system has to appear before great deal do something to drub it. He recognizes that the problems go out be harder to solve later on. Even more, t here were less police officers on the beat to prevent crimes even though these crimes have been getting worse for some years now. The government also has not done something to reduce crime.He couldnt see how Blunketts proposal could solve any of the problems. Brennan mentions that the country has more hoi polloi inside prisons than any countries in Europe. He says it is so because there are more crimes here than anywhere else. The government, he adds, has resorted to different measures to solve the rising number of crimes. Sadly, none of these measures worked, and this showed a disgraceful record on crime and law and order. On the other hand, the Howard League for Penal Reform concur with Blunketts proposal. The spokeswoman says that anything to reduce the prison population is a good thing. She added that the programs set to keep the prisoners with a two or terce months term away from their criminal demeanor are not often available, thats why they offend the second time after they are released. The article recommends that a community penalty is more effective as a form of penalisation for the prisoners than sending them over to prison. The article quotes Brennan recommending that the government should deal with the crimes head on kind of than making lots of promises and pledges that it cannot meet. People should also be aware of these problems and how serious they are so that they can be a part in solving them.Brennan is correct in saying that criminals should be sent to prison whether it is expensive or not. The well-nigh important thing to contend here is the protection of the public from these offenders. The government should present more into these problems because this is getting worse every year and it has bad records of crime. The government should also look into the budgeting systems of the federal and local governments. It should consider that budgeting systems can be a part of the ineffective services it offers to the public. Changes in budgeting systems should be an important part in reform.REFERENCESMorrison, Nick. (2002, February 05). Will part-time prison cut crime or costs? Newsquest (North East Ltd. , p. 8. easy at http//yukon. actx. edu2083/libweb/curriculum/do/ text file? set=topic&groupid=1&requestid=conquesttopic&resultid=48&ts=57673F035D3E975120F685A75E3514BA_1187860483640&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS% 3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B76740234. The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office. (2006). sovereign review of policies and procedures of correctional facilities operated by the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office. Available at http//www. mcda. us/articles/GJ_CORRECTIONAL_FACILITIES_2006. pdf.