Charter and Bylaws

ASPA – CJ (Criminal Justice)

The American Society for Public Administration recognizes the development of specialized areas of interest within its membership as important to the furtherance of the purpose of the Society. Accordingly, it has granted and approved the following Charter and Bylaws for the ACJS – CJ Section. These are subject to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society and to official ASPA policies regarding creation and termination of sections.

 

ARTICLE I.             Name and Purpose

Section 1. Name: This organization shall be known as ASPA-Criminal Justice Section (ASPA-CJ). (The successor of the Section on Criminal Justice Administration.)

 

Section 2. Purpose: Within the broad purposes of ASPA, ASPA-CJ is established to assist in the advancement and professional development of the art of administration and management as it relates to the process of criminal justice. This process embraces both theoretical and operational concern with the problems of preventing and reducing crime; maintaining public order and securing justice in matters of criminal instance. It includes the community of practice, research relationships between the field and academic institutions.

 

It also seeks to obtain the understanding and contribution of the ASPA membership and the larger public administration community in encouraging public interest in criminal justice administration policies and programs at all' government levels.

 

ARTICLE II            Activities

Section 1 Activities: ASPA-CJ may undertake the following activities which are not necessarily all inclusive nor mandatory:

1. Publish a Newsletter periodically to disseminate and exchange information regarding activities to the Section members.

2. Encourage the presentation of panels at the ASPA National and Regional conferences.

3. Encourage and/or sponsor research in criminal justice administration and assist or engage in the publication of findings.

4. Propose as well as analyze and react to significant criminal justice administration legislation, particularly in terms of how such legislation can improve administration of services in accordance with ASPA policies and procedures.

5. Establish liaison with professionals and professional groups in the criminal justice field in consideration of common purposes and problems.

6. Provide a forum for the dissemination and exchange of ideas, know­ ledge and information among agencies, academics, practitioners and students involved in planning, leading, administering and evaluating criminal justice policies and programs.

7. Relate to the professional schools of public affairs and administration concerning the education requirements implied by the emerging functions and responsibilities of administrators at all levels engaged in criminal justice administration and encourage the development of appropriate academic responses.

8. Offer professional feedback to government agencies relative to problems and issues associated with government funded programs in the area of criminal justice administration.

9. Encourage the recognition of criminal justice administration as a valuable part of public administration and criminal justice administrators as public administrators.

 

Section 2 - Annual Report: The Section on Criminal Justice Administration shall prepare and submit an annual report on its activities to the ASPA National Council at the. time of the National Conference. The report will include information on ASPA-CJ. achievements in program and budget during the previous year and projected activities and budget for the following year.

 

ARTICLE III.         Membership

Section 1.  Membership in the Section on Criminal Justice Administration shall be open.to all ASPA members who desire active association with the ASPA-CJ and who pay the enrollment fee and the annual dues.

 

Section 2. Members shall have the right to hold office in the Section;

to vote for elective officers; to receive publications of· the Section; to participate in all activities of the Section; and to receive such benefits and opportunities as are available through the Section.

 

ARTICLE IV.          Officers and their Responsibilities

Section 1. The elective officers of the Section shall be the Chairperson, Chairperson-elect, immediate Past Chairperson, and six (6) members. The term of Chairperson and Chairperson-elect, who will automatically succeed to the office of Chairperson, shall be one year. The six members will serve staggered three­ year terms. These elective officers constitute the ASPA-CJ Executive Committee.

Any vacancy on the Executive Committee will be filled by appointment of the Executive Committee, with the individual so appointed serving until the next annual meeting, when the unexpired term shall be completed by a person elected at the annual election.

 

Section 2. The ASPA Executive Director, or his/her designate, and the Council Liaison Member shall serve as ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 3. In consultation with the Executive Committee, the Chairperson appoints the Newsletter Editor, conference coordinators, regional and chapter liaison officers, committee and task force chairpersons. With the approval of the Executive Committee, the Chairperson shall appoint a Treasurer and a Secretary for the ASPA-CJ. These officers may be selected section members from outside of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 4. The Executive Committee is responsible for the overall performance and functioning of ASPA-CJ. Among its responsibilities will be the following:

1. Determining section dues, subject to approval by the ASPA National Council.

2. Approving section annual programs and budget.

3. Adopting positions on issues of relevance to section concerns, with adoption based on consultation, as widely as is practicable, with the membership of the section.

4. Accepting donations, grants, contracts for the section, subject to ASPA policy regarding this matter.

 

Election results shall be taken by majority vote; in case of tie, the Chairperson's vote shall. prevail.

 

The Chairperson's responsibilities will include: providing leadership to the Section; representing ASPA-CJ, chairing the Executive Committee; presiding over ASPA-CJ meetings; signing correspondence; supervising implementation of section programs and budget, and performing such other functions as necessary for the conduct of the business of the Section.

 

ARTICLE V.           Elections

Section 1. All members of the Section on Criminal Justice Administration shall have the right to vote for, and to be. nominated to, Section elective offices,

 

Section 2. The following election procedures shall be followed:

1. The Chairperson will appoint a Nominating Committee of five members at least four months prior to the annual Section meeting.

2. The Nominating Committee will receive nominations and publish a slate of candidates at least three months prior to the annual Section meeting;

3. The Nominating Committee will receive additional nominations from the petition process up to two months prior to the annual Section meeting; such additional nominations to be signed by 25 members of ASPA-CJ and accompanied by a statement from the nominee expressing interest and willingness to serve the Section;

4. Ballots will be mailed out at least one month prior to the annual Section meeting; Electronic voting will be allowed providing the mechanism used maintains the confidentiality of voters. 

5. New officers will be announced at the annual Section meeting;

6. Newly elected officers will assume office at the annual Section meeting, to be held in conjunction with the ASPA National Conference.

 

ARTICLE VI.          Finances and Administration

Section 1. Grants and Contracts: The ASPA National Council is responsible for approving, receiving, and auditing grants and contracts solicited by the ASPA-CJ. As a tax exempt non-profit educational organization, ASPA is eligible to receive designated donations for the programs and activities sponsored by ASPA-CJ.

 

An overhead charge may be applied if the grant or contract is administered by ASPA.

 

Section 2. Accounting Models: ASPA-CJ dues, enrollment fees and other revenues shall be collected and quarterly allocated to the Section by the ASPA Executive Director. ASPA-CJ may opt to maintain its own financial records, checking and savings accounts and be responsible for all financial transactions. In this case, it shall follow such accounting procedures as may be specified by ASPA's Finance and Administration Committee and shall furnish an annual audit report to the National Council. Alternatively, it may choose to purchase such financial services from the ASPA National Office. In the latter case, the ASPA Executive Director shall maintain separate accounting records for ASPA-CJ and shall provide periodic reports, at least bi-monthly, to the Section Chairperson, or as mutually agreed. If ASPA-CJ purchases financial services from ASPA, an annual fee will be charged against the Section to defray the servicing costs, the fee shall include a flat rate levied equally on each section, plus a fixed charge for each spending transaction performed. The 'flat and unit-transaction rates will be 'determined annually by the Executive Director and announced at the National Conference for the coming fiscal year.

 

Section 3. Change of Accounting Model: ASPA-CJ may opt to change the accounting model by decision of the Executive Committee. For the change to take effect in the following year, the ASPA Executive Director shall be notified of the desire for change at least two months before the new fiscal year· begins.

 

Section 4. Administration and Support: ASPA-CJ shall be responsible for the administration and support of its programs and activities. A program, budget, and work plan shall be prepared and approved by the Executive Committee every year for the coming year. Section responsibilities include but not limited to the following: scheduling section meetings, conducting section elections, organizing program sessions during ASPA's national and regional conferences, preparing and distributing section brochures, producing newsletters and publications, developing and conducting membership campaigns, as well as maintaining meeting and financial records.

 

The ASPA Executive Director shall provide the ASPA-CJ with periodic membership rosters and labels, ASPA handbooks and membership brochures and application forms, ASPA officers newsletters, membership reports, and any other appropriate information.

 

In addition, the ASPA Executive Director shall organize workshops on section administration and development, and shall provide coordination and linkage between ASPA-CJ and other ASPA organizational components.

 

Section 5. Purchase of Administrative Services: ASPA-CJ may wish to purchase specific services occasionally from the National Office (such as handling of sale of section publications ·for example). Services and their respective costs shall be negotiated between the ASPA Executive Director and the Section Chairperson, and must be approved by the Executive Committee.

 

ARTICLE VII.        Meetings

Section 1. General Membership Meetings: of ASPA-CJ will be held at least annually at each be held elsewhere at other times of the year.

 

Section 2. Executive Committee Meetings: The ASPA-CJ Executive Committee shall meet at each ASPA National Conference and at such other times as may be conveniently arranged by the Chairperson.

 

Section 3. Other Meetings: The Executive Committee may arrange for regional, special or other· meetings of ASPA-CJ or its committees at such times and places as appropriate. Funding for all meetings will be limited to amounts budgeted, unless special additional funds are made available from other sources.

 

ARTICLE VIII.      Amendments

Section 1. Substantive changes in this Charter and Bylaws may be voted upon by the section membership at the annual section meeting or through mail ballot and shall be referred to the National Council. If interim action appears necessary, ·the ASPA-CJ Executive Committee may submit amendments to the ASPA National Council.

 

Section 2. Clarifying changes which are in accordance with policies of the National Council and which the Executive Director of ASPA and the Section Executive Committee consider desirable may be made in this Charter and Bylaws from time to time without referral to the National Council. Such changes shall then be referred to the ASPA-CJ membership for information with reasons for changes.

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Adoption and Modification History

Most recent version of ASPA-CJ Bylaws presented and adopted by ASPA-CJ membership at the April 2023 meeting in Chicago, IL.

 

Adopted by SCJA membership at its meeting on April 3, 1979 at Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD.

 

Approved by the ASPA National Council on April 4, 1979 at Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, MD.

 

 

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND THE ASPA SECTION - CRIMINAL JUSTICE

In accordance with the basic policy on ASPA-Section relationships adopted in December 1978 by the ASPA National Council, the attached revised Charter and Bylaws for the ASPA Section on Criminal Justice Administration (ASPA-CJ) has been approved by the ASPA National Council. The following is the memorandum of agreement between ASPA and ASPA-CJ:

 

I. Membership: All members of ASPA-CJ must be individual members of ASPA and pay the annual dues appropriate to their class of membership. Furthermore, each such ASPA member who is also a member of ASPA-CJ will pay an annual section dues of $20.00 help defray the costs of providing services and programming and servicing the ASPA-CJ Section.

 

II.Subscribers to ASPA-CJ Newsletter and Publications:

A. Institutions may subscribe to the ASPA-CJ Newsletter and other publications upon payment of subscription fees as established by the Section Executive Committee.

B. The subscription fee will be high enough to cover the ASPA-CJ costs of servicing subscriptions and in no case will it be less than the dues set for ASPA-CJ members. Pending further costs experience such rate will be $7.00 per year.

 

III. Finances: ASPA-CJ dues, enrollment fees, and other revenues are collected and allocated quarterly to ASPA-CJ by the ASPA Executive Director.

 

ASPA-CJ maintains its own financial records, checking and saving accounts, and is responsible for its financial transactions. In so doing, it will follow the accounting procedures provided by the ASPA's Finance and Administration Committee and shall furnish an annual audit, report to the ASPA National Council.

 

ASPA-CJ may change the above accounting model to purchase financial services from ASPA. In such case, it will notify the ASPA Executive Director of the desire for change no later than May 31 for the change to be effective starting July 1 for the following fiscal year. An amendment will then be signed by the ASPA Executive Director and the ASPA-CJ Chairperson on behalf of the Section.

 

IV. Administration: ASPA-CJ is wholly responsible for the administration and

support of its programs and activities, as specified in Article VI, Section 4 of the ASPA-CJ Charter.

The ASPA Executive Director will provide ASPA-CJ with periodic membership rosters and labels, ASPA. handbooks and membership brochures, application forms, ASPA officers newsletter, membership reports, and any other appropriate information. In addition, the ASPA Executive Director will organizeworkshops on Section administration and development and will provide coordination and linkage between ASPA-CJ and other ASPA organizational components.

ASPA-CJ may purchase specific services occasionally from the ASPA National Office,' upon negotiation with and upon agreement by the ASPA Executive Director as to the service (s) and costs involved.

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V. Program Areas for ASPA-CJ: Any member of ASPA who joins ASPA-CJ by paying the Section dues may participate in any and all ASPA-CJ programs and activities. ASPA-CJ will establish such committees, subcommittees, and other work groups as are necessary to carry out its programs as it deems desirable, provided expenses incurred for such activities in any one year.do not exceed the balance available, except when special grants or other additional resources are developed to cover these costs.

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VI. Annual Report: ASPA-CJ will submit annually a written report on its past year's activities and coming years program and budget· to the National Council at the time of the ASPA National Conference.

 

AGREED

 

For the National Council of the

American Society for Public Administration

 

William P. Shields, Jr.

Executive Director – ASPA

Date

 

Brenda J. Bond-Fortier, PhD.

Suffolk University — Chair, ASPA – CJ   

Date: 03/05/2024

 

Note: It is strongly suggested that these By-laws be reviewed and revised at least every three years by the Executive Board of ASPA-CJ, in consultation with ASPA leadership.