Managerial Issues in Community Corrections (From Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections, P 33-46, 1985, Lawrence F Travis III, ed. - See NCJ-105068)

• NCJ Number: 105070
• Author(s): T R Clear
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, Texas, March 23, 1983.

Annotation

Administrators of community corrections agencies should look beyond day-to-day concerns and focus also on five basic managerial issues: clarifying the organizational purpose, achieving a fit between the organization's structure and processes, upgrading technology, establishing a community corrections career, and providing for systematic evaluations.

Abstract

Attending to these issues is necessary for the future health of community corrections, which currently lacks leadership. Little consensus now exists, for example, regarding what the purpose of community corrections is or should be. Improvements in other aspects of organizational functioning will be difficult to achieve until the confusion over purpose is resolved. Organizing staff to fit the services and goals and making broad improvements in technology are also crucial to effectiveness. In addition, making the work of supervising offenders meaningful, respectable, and lucrative will be essential for attracting and retaining qualified staff. Finally, systematic, routine analyses of organizational information will also be needed both for accountability and for justifying budgets. 40 references.