NCJ Number
119099
Date Published
1988
Length
5 pages
Annotation
In the Prison Service of England and Wales, each component unit (headquarters division, regional office, and prison) has its own statement of function and objectives, which derive from and are congruent with the Service's statement.
Abstract
The Prison Service's statement provides the frame of reference upon which the Service annually reports its performance to parliament, giving documented evidence of the quantity, cost, and, where possible, the quality of its services. There is a natural gap between the overall mission statement of the Service, however, and its implementation at the prison level. This gap is difficult to bridge because of the diverse management styles required by a large bureaucracy that operates a dispersed custodial service. Prison management is people oriented. A bureaucracy, on the other hand, establishes principles for general task control and operates by rules and procedures. At the top management of a prison service, management is by project, measuring progress by milestones, and the management style must adapt to and stimulate change. In the midst of diverse management styles at various levels of the bureaucracy, the mission statement must be paramount. This is achieved through recruitment policies, training strategy, and commitment to the mission statement under all circumstances.