Introduction
It was always logical that law enforcement, as well as other state-funded organizations, were open systems. In the narrow sense, they receive funding from the government, so they are dependent on it. In the broader sense, they also receive people, structure, culture, material goods, and ideology from society.
Essence
The same society and government also receive the output of the law enforcement organizations, meaning that the activity of the criminal justice system is never focused unto itself. This line of thinking was inspired by the material I have read and watched. Giblin (2014) enumerates the open system theories that are relevant to criminal justice and law enforcement agencies. The most interesting theory to me was the resource dependence theory.
It suggests that organizations are often dependent on the outside environment for critical resources. For that reason, they are vulnerable to outside influence and restraints. It seems obvious at first, but people, including me, rarely think about it. The criminal justice system has to operate within the confines of what these companies have and are willing to give, which are two of the resource dependence theory’s core tenets (Kite, 2013). In turn, the system provides the other organizations and society with its labor, knowledge, and sacrifice.
Conclusion
Further reading about the resource dependence theory in the context of commercial business has also deepened my understanding of how open the criminal justice system is as well. Biermann and Harsch (2016) write that some resources that an organization receives and gives are intangible. It is especially true for law enforcement organizations, as they provide the people at large some peace of mind and security if they work well. In return, the criminal justice system, ideally, would receive simple appreciation and gratitude. None of these benefits are material goods, but they are necessary for the psychological wellbeing of people in all the organizations. I think it is an essential dimension of the resource dependence theory, as human and social capital are just as necessary as the other resources.
References
Biermann, R., & Harsch, M. (2016). Resource dependence theory. In R. Biermann & J. A. Koops (Eds.), Palgrave handbook of inter-organizational relations in world politics. (pp. 135–155.) England: Palgrave Macmillan.
Giblin, M.J. (2014). Organization and management in the criminal justice system: A text/reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Kite, B. (2013). Resource dependence theory [Video file]. Web.