NCJ Number
112988
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 50 Issue: 5 Dated: (August 1988) Pages: 200-202,216
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The mentor system, which uses the experience and knowledge of senior staff members to develop training curricula and provide instruction, can play an integral role in accelerating the leadership development process in corrections.
Abstract
The mentor system also ensures continuity from one generation and one administration to another. The Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) used a modified mentor system in planning its emergency preparedness program. A 3-day training seminar for top administrators and supervisors indicated that DOC needed to review its emergency preparedness procedures, revise emergency plans, increase training statewide, and develop plans. A task force was appointed to review the DOC mission and major factors affecting the handling of emergencies, evaluate the pertinent literature, solicit plans from other States, and review plans throughout Florida. The task force also addressed training issues related to such situations as bomb threats, employee strikes, fire, hostage situations, disasters, and riots. The task force developed a standard format for emergency plans and then developed model plans for 11 emergency situations. A training curriculum was developed and revised. The 40-hour curriculum, taught by task force members, has been offered to all key staff from superintendents to lieutenants. In addition to specific situations, the curriculum covers liabilities (e.g., political, legal, organizational), internal factors (staff, inmates, prison social structure), and organizational planning and leadership.