NCJ Number
81562
Date Published
Unknown
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This manual presents step-by-step instructions to enable managers of correctional facilities to draft policies and procedures for their facilities. Emphasis is placed on policies for correctional facilities in Massachusetts.
Abstract
A policy is defined as a statement documenting the goals of an organization, while a procedure specifically describes the activities that must be carried out by staff or others to implement a policy. Policies should be written to make the desired interpretation explicit and procedures should be written so as to make interpretation unnecessary. Correctional policies must be drafted in accordance with the relevant Federal, State, or county statutes. Policies are also affected by legal interpretations, court cases, or regulations growing out of these statutes. In the absence of specific legislation, policies and procedures should be measured against common practices in other correctional facilities or against generally accepted administrative practice. Chief executive officers of correctional facilities should be involved in the development of all new procedures. The initial steps involved in developing policies and procedures are a review of statutory language on the subject, a review of recent legislative or court rulings, a review of regulations or other orders on the subject, and, if possible, a survey of practices in other jurisdictions. Each procedure should begin with identifying information which covers the policy, purpose, applicability, authorization, cancellation, issuance date, review date, responsible staff, table of contents, and definitions. The procedure should also include applicable information on statutory or policy requirements; staff instructions and responsibilities; and reports, forms, and appendixes. A sample procedure related to criminal offender records illustrates these guidelines. Questions to consider in developing a procedure are listed. Guidelines are also given for implementing new procedures. Addenda present information on methods of numbering procedures, wording and language, and regulations and other information related to criminal offender record information.