Thesis on "Management of Prisons"

Thesis 5 pages (1606 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

prison management from the prison manager's perspective. Effective prison management results in a safer, more controlled prison environment, and leads to staff and inmate safety, as well. From the prison manager's perspective, attaining effective prison management is their primary duty. Today, prison management is often privatized, leading to different goals and objectives in some cases. Prison management usually falls to wardens in the prison system with years of experience in incarceration, so sometimes; bringing in new management techniques can be difficult.

From the prison manager's perspective, there are two distinct schools of management style. There are those who become involved with the prison community (often seen as more liberal), and those who remain in their offices for a majority of their time (often seen as more traditional or conservative. The liberal group believes in a more humanistic approach to detention and management. One researcher states, "In their view, detention should provide these individuals with skills that can help them survive on the street; wardens are morally required to 'do something with these people'" (Boin 65). In this management model, communication between staff and inmates is key, and the regime is more relaxed. The traditional or "strict" model is very different. Boin notes, "The strict philosophy is clear on the subject of rehabilitation programs. Every inmate needs an understanding of how the real world functions. It is up to the prison administration to provide opportunities for inmates to develop themselves, but such opportunities are not offered to all inmates" (Boin 66). In addition, in the strict model, rules and regulations are far more stringent, and discipline is a key function of the model. In all models, most prison managers agree that communication is crucial to good prison management.

Another model is often describes as a "middle of the road" technique. This is often used by new wardens with less experience, or when there is not a clear management philosophy throughout the prison system. Researcher Boin says, "These wardens placed a premium on efficiency. Some wardens seemed preoccupied with 'efficient management of a modern prison' and the 'new, business-like character' of prison management" (Boin 67). Indeed, prison management has turned into a business, and in many cases, it is being farmed out to private firms who specialize in prison management to help save costs and initiate reforms.

In privatized prisons, prison management can be far different from publicly funded prisons. In private prisons, the main goal of the manager is not to rehabilitate the prisoner - it is to cut costs. Because of this, conditions in private prisons are worse than in public prisons. Private prison management is also involved in gaining new contracts to house prisoners, prisoner classification, and other duties, and they must deal with a high degree of turnover, due to poor salaries and job dissatisfaction. A researcher who specializes in private prisons notes, "Many private prison managers have been willing to solicit and accept prisoners whose custody classification exceeds the control capacity of their facilities in terms of both design and staffing" (Greene, 2003, p. 64). This also leads to staffing problems for the managers, because often, guards are not trained in proper procedures for these prisoners, and that leads to staff turnover, as well. Clearly, privatized prisons offer very different prison management techniques, so working for a private prison could be a very different management experience from working in a public facility.

It is important to remember that prison management is not always the same throughout the prison system, whether it is public or private. Researcher Boin continues, "Subsequent interviews with prison wardens revealed the existence of many different but, at the same time, clearly formulated, coherent, and internally consistent philosophies on prison management" (Boin, 2001, p. 64). This means that prison managers, at least in some systems, have the ability to set their own management style, rather than adhere to strict guidelines, which gives them more freedom and chance for personal involvement.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has one of the strongest management systems throughout the country. Researcher Boin has studied the system and knows how it works. He writes, "This unwritten law prescribes such principles as Management by Walking Around (see and be seen) and unit management. The Correctional Worker First concept, in turn, is one of the security foundations on which the progressive concept of unit management firmly rests" (Boin, 2001, p. 173). There is a central organization that creates policies and procedures for all BOP prisons, but there is also a great deal of delegation of authority to the field managers, giving them more freedom in their own institutions. Boin continues, "However, it has always been realized and accepted that wardens need a fair amount of discretion to accomplish the envisioned goals. Moreover, wardens have been assigned a structural position of expertise in the policymaking process" (Boin, 2001, p. 173). While this may not be the case in other institutions, in BOP institutions, it helps keep things running smoothly and effectively.

Integration is another key issue in prison management. Boin notes, "If central policymakers and field administrators do not share similar interpretations of penal policy and a comparable appreciation of management methods, the system is likely to experience more center-field friction and critical incidents" (Boin, 2001, p. 175). This can lead to dangerous incidents in the prison system, from inmate uprisings to officer injury or death. Studies indicate that prisons with poor management are far more apt to be prisons with inmate unrest and staff discontent, so effective management is a safety issue, as well.

Of course, the day-to-day management of a prison is all about people, from the inmate population to the guards and other staff members. The manager, whether it the warden, the captain, or a supervisor, has to have clear communication skills, and the ability to be a good listener. This is because much of what happens in the prison community is communicated through either staff or prisoners. Thus, managers have to be good communicators, so they can get their policies and procedures across in a clear and meaningful way. Another prison management expert notes, "This is needed more so when the organization is large and multi-layered, including the substratum of prisoners. Listening skills are imperative certainly to ferret out thoughts that have not been expressed though essential to the diagnostic process" (Daly, 2002). Managers need to show one-on-one interest with staff members and prisoners, as well, and Daly advises using methods such as eye contact and facial expressions to help show sincere interest in the problem or discussion (Daly, 2002).

Another important element of prison management at all levels is the overall morale of the prison. In a strict prison environment, morale of the prisoners may be low, because of the strict guidelines they must follow. In a looser environment, prisoner morale may be higher, due to looser standards of enforcement. However, the manager must provide a balance between prisoner morale and staff morale, and that can be a challenge. If staff morale differs from inmate morale, the manager is not achieving a balance, and that can lead to many different problems in the system, from inmate abuse from a staff with low morale, to prison unrest and riots from an inmate population that is dissatisfied or treated poorly. Morale is a constant problem in many prisons, at it is not a constant, either. It can fluctuate due to a variety of circumstances, from a changing inmate population to staff changes and ideals. A good prison manager always stays on top of the morale situation at all times.

Many experts believe that prison management is always evolving, and that will continue to be the case. New management techniques stress understanding the needs of the employee to help alleviate stress and distance in a job that… READ MORE

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