The most relevant power type to any specific agency of the criminal justice system is the legal authority or power. With power rooted in the regulations and rules of the institution, legal authority is founded on an organization’s hierarchy, where formal rules and regulations are followed to maintain the chain of command. Further, with the majority of the criminal systems utilizing this form of authority, the chain of command ensures power organization is hierarchical in that lowly ranked officers follow imposed rules by those above them.
Based on the predicated belief, subordinates have to adhere to the laid rules and regulations as a way through which authority can be appealed. Furthermore, power relevance is attributed to the understanding that in the criminal justice system, only what has been decided has to be implemented, failure to which there will be non-compliance.