NCJ Number
84548
Date Published
Unknown
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This executive summary presents findings from the first performance-based evaluation of the preservice security training program for correctional officers employed by the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Abstract
The evaluation was conducted in July 1981. As of that date, 870 of the 1,126 correctional officers who had completed training were still employed within the correctional system. Correctional officers randomly selected for participation were identified from the group of cadets trained at the academy during the period March-December 1980. Interviews were conducted, and survey instruments were sent to trainee participants and to 130 supervisors. Trainees responded positively in all three of the crucial areas of need for training, adequate job preparation, and job-related aspects of training. The major problem participants identified was the disparity between what they had been taught at the training academy and what was actually practiced at the correctional institutions. Many trainees were told to forget what they had learned at the academy upon returning to the correctional facility. The data indicated a high acceptance of modules included in the curriculum plan at the academy. Trainees listed self-defense, gang information, and first aid as areas which should be integrated into existing training program modules. A direct correlation between training and satisfactory job performance was indicated by the responses. The 130 supervisors who participated in the evaluation indicated that trainees tend to overreact when they have just completed training and that trainees are not allowed to perform many of the skills received at the academy. Supervisors suggest that stimulation and mock emergencies should be used as on-the-job training for all personnel. In addition, discipline and respect for superiors should be taught at the academy. Six tables are provided, and two survey instruments are appended.