ABSTRACT
Humans may render decisions individually, within groups, or among organizational settings. Humans are imperfect creatures, and the ability of humans to render decisions is in¥uenced by such imperfections. Heuer indicates that, historically, human decisions were perceived from the notion that it was necessary only to “open one’s eyes, look at the facts, and purge oneself of all preconceptions and prejudices in order to make an objective judgment.” However, contemporary perceptions have changed and acknowledge the realization that bias exists within the context of rendering human decisions. Heuer recognizes this concept through observing that contemporary analysis entities do not approach decisions with “empty minds,” and begin to approach decisions “with a set of assumptions about how events normally transpire in the area for which they are responsible.”†
From the perspective of criminal justice and law enforcement entities, these notions are relevant. e ”nancial costs of intelligence functions are enormous given the necessity of maintaining homeland security e¡orts nationally and internationally. However, despite such costs, it is imperative that the economic functioning, ”nancial functioning, and business functioning of the nation are unimpeded. erefore, decisions regarding the funding of a myriad of programs and initiatives must be contemplated vehemently and meticulously to provide the best decision possible (Figure 2.1).
