4.1. Importance of Policy in Criminal Justice 
ALISON S. BURKE 
Why is Policy so Important in Criminal Justice? 
Everyone is affected by the criminal justice system through public policy. Policy represents social control 
and ensures members of society are compliant and conform to the laws. Policies include issues related: to 
juvenile justice, drug legislation, intimate partner violence, prison overcrowding, school safety, new federal 
immigration laws, terrorism, and national security. 
Modern-day crime policies can be traced to changes in crime and delinquency in the 1960s. That decade 
saw major increases in the crime rate along with widespread social unrest as a result of the Vietnam War and 
the Civil Rights movement. The work of the 1967 President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the 
Administration of Justice highlighted the crime problem, and the criminal justice system’s failure to address 
the problem. The commission called for new approaches, programs, policies, funding models, and research 
on the cause of crime. In addressing the causes of crime (theory), and using appropriate data collection 
(research), effective policies and programs could be proposed. 
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