Monitoring Hostility: Avoiding Prison Disturbances Through Environmental Scanning

• NCJ Number: 150245
• Journal: Corrections Today Volume: 56 Issue: 5 Dated: (August 1994) Pages: 104,106,108-111
• Author(s): L A S Labecki
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

One strategy for preventing and managing violence in prisons is to establish comprehensive environmental scanning systems to enable corrections administrators to monitor the institutional climate regularly and to anticipate problems.

Abstract

Prison disturbances have become more frequent in the last 40 years. Causal factors often cited by correctional administrators include crowding, idleness, security problems, insufficient staffing and staff training, facilities that are poorly designed and maintained, insufficient programming, and the prevalence of young and violent offenders. To reduce violence, administrators are increasingly focusing on proactive rather than reactive management. Environmental scanning is a central component of the proactive planning process that requires administrators to evaluate emerging or shifting trends inside and outside their organization or institution. The scanning process typically consists of four steps: (1) the development of a process to identify emerging trends or shifts in existing trends, (2) the organization of the findings into an information package distributed to administrators, (3) decisions by the administrators regarding whether the trends represent a threat to the agency, and (4) a decision regarding intervention or a revision of policies and procedures to address the needs. The success of environmental scanning depends on pertinent data and its timely processing and distribution. The five stages in developing an environmental scanning system include a commitment by the administrator and crucial personnel, decisions on the frequency of reporting and review of information, agreement on indicators to monitor, development of measurable terms to define these indicators, and designation of one person to coordinate the system and maintain consistent quality. Five steps are involved in developing an effective scanning system. Such a system can help administrators understand and plan for the needs of offenders and staff and differentiate between an acceptable and tense institutional climate. Diagram and 7 references