The Process of Policy-Making
The phrase "policy-making" was created by fusing the words "policy" and "make." A collection of principles that are created, for example, in a government to facilitate decision-making and aid in achieving a rational outcome can be referred to as policy. Making something means assembling various parts to create a finished product. Given the definitions of the two words that make up the term "policy-making," it could be said that it refers to the real process of creating a set of rules or guidelines within the government. An example of policy-making from the viewpoint of the government would be the creation and passage of a marijuana legalization bill by the president and the relevant government employees. Policies are usually put in place as a way of preventing future problems or those issues that have already become bothering problem to the public. For instance, the society always aspires brighter future which has to be protected through the enacting of policies. Therefore, policy making is an effective tool in addressing the most common concerns raised by the general public.
Understanding Policy Analysis
Understanding of the term policy-analysis would be effective by first describing and comprehending the two words making up the notion. Policy, described above, refers to a set of standards or principles that are instituted within a government. Analysis, on the other hand, is the detailed consideration of the constituents or structure of something. Therefore, policy-analysis could be described as the detailed consideration of the principles or standards that are used in the formulation of policy. Policies are the greatest decisions and responsibilities that leaders and the government should draft and implement to facilitate smooth operations. Policy analysis is a significant tool in examining whether the drafted policies are implemented as required. From my point of view and understanding of policy-analysis, I could describe it as the process or activity of researching the formulated policies to determine their effectiveness. It is through policy-analysis that formulators of policies and those implementing the guidelines could assess whether a certain policy would have positive or negative impact on the target audience.
Definitions in the Readings
My perception of the definitions in the readings is that that they are more detailed regarding how, why, what and when either of two notions in question could be applied in law policy process. My definitions of two terms were from a general perspective. Moreover, my description of the terms was drawn from the literal definitions of the words making up the two terms. Unlike personal understanding explained, the readings provide a clear and elaborate link to how the two terms connect and operate together. To show the correlation between the two terms, I provided an example of general public impatience when either of them would be utilized in a real-life scenario. The definitions documented in the readings did not provide a clear and definite description of the two terms but gave enough supporting facts that a clear definition is susceptible to alteration or interruption by a person with minimum knowledge in the field concerned.
Examples of Criminal Justice Policies
A perfect example of a criminal justice policy is the law passed on 26th February 2015 in Washington D.C that allowed the legal use of marijuana to those above 21 years of age. Several reasons pushed for the enacting of this law all attributed to having a positive side effect (Pacula et al., 2014). Another example of a criminal justice policy is Florida's stand your ground law behind the Trevon Marti case that caught the attention of the media. This law was passed to prevent impending death or harm to an individual. The law also prevented the imminent commission of a forcible felony (Lave, 2012). The third example of a criminal justice policy would be the North Carolina Law that was enacted to fight cyber buying. Due to the widespread social media and its usage across the world, cyberbullying has become a problem that caught the attention of the relevant government authorities, calling for an action to limit the habit. The most effective way of dealing with cyberbullying was to implement a law that would help harness the issue and apprehend the perpetrators.
References
Lave, T. R. (2012). Shoot to kill: a critical look at stand your ground laws. University of Miami Law Review, 67, 827.
Pacula, R. L., Kilmer, B., Wagenaar, A. C., Chaloupka, F. J., & Caulkins, J. P. (2014). Developing public health regulations for marijuana: lessons from alcohol and tobacco. Journal Information, 104(6), 1021–1028.
