Interest Group Influence in Policy Formulation

Marion and Oliver define interest groups as “pressure group, special interest, organized interest, of faction, as a group of citizens who are organized and attempt to influence legislation so it reflects their interest or policy goals.” (p.281). Consider exploring the sources in the CRJ510 Professional Resources List to assist your research for this activity.

Initial Post: Read the Lutze and Schaefer article and use it as a springboard for this discussion. Reentry and rehabilitation programs are controversial and have proponents on both sides of the issues. Explain the role special interest groups play in their effort to influence legislation that dictates reentry and rehabilitation policy. Then from a macro perspective, should there be so many access points that allow special interest groups to access legislators? What are the negatives to allowing special interest groups to have an active role in political campaigns? Support your claims with examples from the required materials and/or other scholarly sources, and properly cite your references with both in-text and APA citations at the end of your post.