Basics of Criminal Justice Policy
Written by:
Appalachian State University
• Oct 9, 2025
In 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that the previous year had seen over 14 million reports of criminal offenses ranging from minor property damage to capital offenses, including murder and hate crimes. In every case, justice depended on one thing: a team of professionals with a firm grasp of criminal justice policy.
However, criminal justice policy involves more than assigning punishments to crimes. For those considering earning a degree in criminal justice from App State Online and starting a career in the criminal justice system, here’s what to know about the creation of and key issues with policy in today’s world.
What Is Criminal Justice Policy?
Criminal justice policy refers to the laws and strategies used to deter, define and respond to crime. This framework of regulations helps ensure public safety and maintain order in society. To understand how criminal policies are created and enforced, it’s important to examine how lawmakers create policies, how the criminal justice system carries them out and how the public ultimately influences them.
The Legislature and the Creation of Criminal Justice Policy
Criminal justice policies typically take the form of laws. This means that whether it’s a local, state or federal law, a policy must go through a rigorous process before being created.
For example, at the federal level, a law must first be proposed as a bill by a member of the House of Representatives. Representatives then research, debate and vote on each bill. Once it passes that stage, the U.S. Senate votes on it and the President signs it into law. State governments have a similar process for their own criminal laws.
How the Criminal Justice System Carries Out Policy
Once a crime policy has been encoded into law, it’s up to the criminal justice system to carry it out. There are three main components of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, the court system and the corrections system. Each plays its own role in enforcing policy.
Law Enforcement Agencies
Law enforcement agencies respond to and investigate criminal violations of the law. There are local law enforcement agencies that enforce laws in their jurisdictions, state enforcement agencies that handle high-level crimes covering multiple jurisdictions in their states and federal agencies that tackle complex, high-level crimes that often span multiple states.
These different types of law enforcement agencies often cooperate and support one another. For example, the FBI helps local law enforcement agencies with organized crime networks that traffic people, drugs or stolen goods.
The Court System
Once a person has been apprehended by law enforcement or charged with a crime, they are put on trial at the local, state or federal level, depending on the nature and scope of their suspected crimes. Throughout this process, policies of all kinds, from legal precedents and Constitutional rights to sentencing guidelines, are key.
However, trying defendants is only one function of the court system. The federal Supreme Court and its state counterparts may examine court cases and rule on how different laws can and should be applied.
The Corrections System
If a defendant is convicted of a crime, they’re put under the authority of a local, state or federal department of corrections. While incarceration is a common sentence, those convicted of crimes may also be sentenced to probation and must submit to regular drug tests, visits with probation officers and other terms.
The Public’s Influence on Crime Policy
The government is ultimately responsible for carrying out and enforcing criminal justice policy in most cases. That being said, the public can be involved and have much influence on criminal law.
In the U.S., the public primarily influences criminal policy by voting on proposed laws and electing public officials. Advocacy groups, lobbying organizations, universities with social research departments and other organizations can also work closely with legislators and criminal justice professionals to create policies that serve the needs of their communities.
Three Key Issues In Criminal Justice Policy Today
Criminal justice is by no means static. Every part of the government and the criminal justice system must keep their policies in line with the changing social, economic and political landscape. Here are a few issues that shape modern criminal justice policy at every level, all of which require highly skilled criminal justice professionals to resolve.
Policing Strategies
According to a 2024 Gallup poll, only 51% of Americans have strong confidence in the nation’s law enforcement agencies. Each community has its issues, but conversations often revolve around the level of training officers receive, funding, perceived biases and policies about escalation and force.
Incarceration
In early 2025, the Prison Policy Institute reported that the U.S. has an incarcerated population of about two million people. Their report also emphasizes disproportionate levels of incarceration rates for certain populations.
To many advocates, this is one of the most worrying and complex issues in criminal justice today, and it raises questions about sentencing policies, how prisons are funded and the resources available to the country’s most vulnerable populations.
Data Collection and Usage
To inform their policymaking decisions, legislators conduct and review research about crime rates, incarceration, recidivism and other metrics in their jurisdictions. However, according to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), good data isn’t always easy to come by.
Legislators report to the NCSL that they often encounter issues with finding relevant data, engaging community stakeholders to help collect data and creating context around the information they gather. This issue may not seem as pressing as others, but effective policy hinges on lawmakers’ ability to fully understand their communities’ challenges and needs.
Become the Informed Criminal Justice Professional The Country Needs
From police officers to prisoners’ rights attorneys, America’s criminal justice system needs informed professionals who can navigate the complexity of policy issues. Through App State Online’s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Flight Path Program, you can become just that.
In this transfer-friendly program, students get right to the heart of criminal justice with classes such as Crime and Culture, Innocence in the Criminal Justice System and Theories of Crime and Justice. Further, with a wide range of electives to choose from, students can tailor their education to meet their immediate career goals.
Find out more about App State Online’s program and how it can help your criminal justice career.
Recommended Readings
A Look at Criminal Investigators: Salary and More
Forensic Science Technician: Salary and Overview
What Is a Criminal Justice Degree?
Sources:
Citizens Clean Elections Commission, “About the U.S. Supreme Court”
FBI, “FBI Releases 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics”
Gallup, “U.S. Confidence in Institutions Mostly Flat, but Police Up”
Prison Policy Institute, “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025”