NCJ Number
153581
Journal
American Jails Volume: 8 Issue: 6 Dated: (January/February 1995) Pages: 68-71
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examines economic, environmental, and information system considerations in correctional staff deployment management systems.
Abstract
Organizations that have work assignments that require continuous personnel tasks face the difficulty of properly assigning duty personnel to them. Improper assignment can cause enormous overtime costs and substantial employee discontent. Average annual rates of employee absenteeism and average annual employee workdays are the primary determinants used when considering the development of a work assignment funding factor. Once a funding factor has been determined, it is applied to the demand for the activities, work shifts, jobs, and workdays determined necessary to accomplish the agency's mission. In addition, the funding factor must be applied to the budgeted positions available to meet the demand, the average and actual number of position vacancies, and current and projected absenteeism rates. Predictive procedures that forecast costs before money is spent are better than others that track mistakes after the fact. Forecasts that do cost projections of supply and demand requirements at any increment for any day throughout a calendar or fiscal year are possible only with the use of computer software. Such forecasts, using multiple funding factors, allow an agency to see at a glance where productivity, efficiency, and cost containment expectations are met. In the context of discussing software selection and use, this article addresses work schedule production and adjustment, environmental considerations, and information system considerations. 4 figures