NCJ Number
127288
Date Published
1990
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) of the National Institute of Justice was asked by the Arizona Department of Corrections to survey correctional trainers nationwide as to their conflict resolution training programs for correctional officers. The respondents were selected through a stratified random sampling technique and the survey instrument developed by NCJRS was applied.
Abstract
Specifically, the questions were designed to determine whether the State agencies trained their officers in conflict resolution, how many hours of such training were required, and whether and how role-playing techniques were used in this type of training. The findings revealed that the correctional agencies surveyed trained cadets on conflict resolution through the use of interpersonal communication skills and in most cases, physical self-defense techniques were also taught. Of the training courses using role-playing techniques, nine involved physical contact and seven did not. Seven systems act out "worst-case scenarios" including hostage-taking or violence directed against the correctional officer; eight systems did not use this aspect of role-plays. Because many jurisdictions incorporate conflict resolution into their overall training programs, it was difficult to measure the number of hours required in this area. 3 appendixes