USING CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS IN PLANNED CHANGE

• NCJ Number: 9547
• Author(s): D Duffee
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 71 pages
• Grant Number(s): NI-71-115
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: State University of New York at Albany
• Sale Source: National Technical Information Service
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

INVOLVEMENT OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS IN CHANGING GOALS WITHIN THE INSTITUTION AS AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE A MORE FLEXIBLE AND CONSTRUCTIVE GUARD SUB-CULTURE.

Abstract

A GROUP OF SEVEN CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WAS BROUGHT TOGETHER IN A MINIMUM SECURITY FACILITY AND GIVEN RESEARCH TASKS CONCERNING VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF THE ORGANIZATION AND GOALS OF THE PRISON COMMUNITY. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE EVALUATED WITH RESPECT TO THEIR ADMISSION OF INMATES TO THE GROUP, THEIR COMMUNICATION WITH OTHER ACTION GROUPS IN THE PRISON, THEIR COMMUNICATION WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT, AND THEIR ABILITY TO WRITE A GRANT PROPOSAL AND THE CONTENT OF THAT PROPOSAL. THE GROUP TECHNIQUE DID PROVE EFFECTIVE IN DEVELOPING A PROBLEM-SOLVING MILIEU FOR CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS AND AN INCREASED AWARENESS ON THEIR PART OF THE PROBLEMS OF INDIVIDUAL INMATES. IT DID NOT, HOWEVER, PROVE AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF OPENING USEFUL COMMUNICATION CHANNELS BETWEEN THE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS AND THEIR SUPERIORS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)