NCJ Number
80935
Date Published
1981
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The first of three monographs concerning personnel management and civil rights compliance, this report provides guidelines on establishing affirmative action recruitment programs in criminal justice agencies.
Abstract
The report presents definitions of open and closed recruitment systems and discusses factors that prescribe personnel actions in the public sector. It explains that in addition to difficulties stemming from centralized administration and legal restraints, criminal justice agencies face the problem of altering the public perception that their field is predominantly a white male domain. A review of the legal basis for affirmative action focuses on the 1979 Justice System Improvement Act and notes that a major thrust of any affirmative action effort must be recruitment. Barriers to effective minority recruitment, such as testing and complicated application procedures, are described, and ways to analyze problems in the existing system are suggested. The following steps in changing the agency's public image are detailed: making top-level support known, updating recruitment literature, using the media, and getting the community involved. Because careful records are an essential part of any well-managed recruitment program, methods for collecting and evaluating data on applicants are outlined. Types of information needed to write an adequate equal employment opportunity plan required for compliance reviews are identified. A recommended timetable for meeting the goals of an affirmative action program conclude the monograph. Charts and a sample form are included.