NCJ Number
65590
Date Published
1979
Length
430 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT PRESENTS AN EVALUATION OF THE CENTRALIZED TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CORRECTIONAL WORKERS CONDUCTED BY THE MISSOURI DIVISION OF CORRECTIONS SINCE 1975.
Abstract
THE EVALUATION WAS DESIGNED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DIVISION'S CENTRALIZED (BASIC, INTERMEDIATE, AND ADVANCED) TRAINING PROGRAM, TO ASSESS THE VALUE OF TRAINING AND IDENTIFY TRAINING NEEDS BY SURVEYING DIVISION STAFF AND BY OBTAINING PERCEPTIONS OF DIVISION ADMINISTRATORS, AND TO ANALYZE THE CURRICULUM USED IN TRAINING PROGRAM BY COMPARING IT WITH RELEVANT STANDARDS AND MODEL CURRICULA USED IN OTHER CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS. DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM A REVIEW OF TRAINING, TRAINING EVALUATION, AND CORRECTIONAL TRAINING LITERATURE; BY MEANS OF A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY OF A RANDOMLY SELECTED SAMPLE OF 25 PERCENT OF THE DIVISION'S STAFF; AND BY EVALUATING THE ONGOING CENTRALIZED TRAINING BY SYSTEMATIC PARTICIPANT-OBSERVATION, AS WELL AS BY PRE- AND POSTTRAINING QUESTIONNAIRE ASSESSMENTS OF TRAINEE LEARNING AND ATTITUDES DURING THE THREE 1-WEEK TRAINING COURSES. SURVEY RESULTS INDICATE THAT ONLY 8 PERCENT OF THE RESPONDENTS HAD RECEIVED NO TRAINING, WHILE NEARLY 85 PERCENT HAD TAKEN ONE OR MORE OF THE THREE COURSES. THE THREE CENTRALIZED TRAINING COURSES WERE FOUND TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF CORRECTIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF TRAINEES, BASED UPON THE RESULTS OF TESTS USED BY THE TRAINING CENTER. OVERALL, TRAINEES WERE SATISFIED WITH THE TRAINING THEY HAD RECEIVED IN TERMS OF ORGANIZATION, METHODS, AND GENERAL IMPACT. SURVEY RESPONDENTS EXPRESSED CONFUSION ABOUT THE EXACT NATURE OF THEIR JOBS, BUT DID MAKE CLEAR THAT THEIR PRIMARY ORIENTATION WAS TOWARD SECURITY CONCERNS. THE DIVISION, THROUGH ITS TRAINING STAFF, HAS DONE AN EFFECTIVE JOB OF DEVELOPING AND ESTABLISHING A TRAINING PROGRAM DESPITE A VARIETY OF LIMITATIONS. TO FURTHER ENHANCE THE TRAINING PROGRAM, IT SHOULD BE FULLY INTEGRATED INTO AGENCY OPERATIONS, ALSO TRAINERS NEED TO DEVELOP A COORDINATED AND SYSTEMATIC TRAINING CURRICULUM, AS WELL AS HAVE ACCESS TO SPECIALISTS TO MEET ANY SPECIFIC NEEDS. TABLES, FOOTNOTES, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. APPENDIXES PRESENT EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS, SUPPORTING TABLES, COMMENTS FROM QUESTIONNAIRES, AND A CENTRALIZED TRAINING COURSE CURRICULA. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED --PRG)