Decision Making Case Study Analysis - Essay Example

Mary, as a relatively new and inexperienced probation officer has a fresh outlook and different expectations from the system. Her approach to the case places more importance on "positivism" and a "watchman style" as she has not yet become part of the system; the cultural ethos of the organization on the other hand in entrenched in "classicalism" and has a rigid "legalistic" approach (Stojkovic, Kalinich, & Klofas, 2003, p. 295). If only rational guidelines were to be considered, then, based on the crime score and offender score parameters (Stojkovic, et al.

, 2003, p 312), the offender qualifies for probation. Moreover, the offence is one of statutory rape and charges have been filed by the parents of the girl, over the objections of the victim. Hence more discretion, within the boundaries of bounded rationality is warranted and needs to be the primary factor in this case. Political considerations, however legitimate should not fly in the face of natural justice. Most decisions are arrived at keeping an organization's long-term goals in mind and solutions fall in to well established and acceptable solutions for identified problems - the 'garbage can' concept.

To that extent, organizational culture is a definitive influencing factor. In fact it is this deeply ingrained ethos which influences the advice given to Mary by her supervisor. This kind of 'standard operating procedure' leads to the formation of 'legitimizing rituals' that further perpetuate the laid down decision making process. In effect, "equilibrium is set and protected" (Stojkovic, et al., 2003, p 301). This is what Mary learns from the case. Symbolically the case is a sex offence and because of the pressure of organizational culture it has to be treated as one of many such cases rather than treating it on its own merits.

The pre-set solution for such cases is the decision already 'arrived at'. This results in a compromise solution that though not exactly the best satisfies everyone in the system. This is because all decisions are made with incomplete information and although rationality requires the ability to choose between all possible courses of action, in practice all of them are not capable of being implemented due to various constraints. Hence the adoption of the concept of satisfycing i.e., "the attainment of acceptable rather than optimal results" (Stojkovic, et al.

, 2003, p 298), which is a useful concept in criminal justice to satisfy diverse and contradictory interests.Cultural and Political Concerns in Decision Making Cultural and political concerns can never be left out of any decision making process as decisions are not made in a vacuum. Hence, understanding of thee limitations and learning how to work through them is a better option in the long run. This is what Mary realizes when it dawns on her that a compromise solution would have a better chance of success, since, "recommendations of probation officersgenerally correlate with sentencing decisions" (Stojkovic, et al., 2003, p. 302).

The inputs given by Mary as a result of the PSI would provide crucial inputs that would influence the final outcome. Recommendations that are grounded in rationality and backed by the results of prediction models would certainly enhance the acceptability of the recommendations.