NCJ Number
99056
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 49 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1985) Pages: 42-49
Date Published
1985
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study analyzes the responses of correctional staff at accredited facilities to a survey that elicited their attitudes toward the accreditation program.
Abstract
During March 1983, the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections, the American Correctional Association Committee on Standards, and the Office of Research of the Bureau of Prisons collaborated to survey the staff at all accredited programs in the United States and Canada. The survey measured respondents' perceptions and feelings about various aspects of the accreditation program. The researchers used path analytic techniques to examine the divergent views of accreditation held by various respondent groups (e.g., administrators and nonadministrators). The analysis also focused on beliefs about the adequacy of time allowed, distribution of the workload, and the usefulness of preparations, beliefs which influenced respondents' preference for streamlining accreditation standards and procedures. Some staff groups viewed the accreditation process as more disruptive than did other staff groups. Staff members with regular heavy job demands viewed the accreditation process as a burden, as did those most involved in implementing the accreditation process. These groups should be a source of suggestions for streamlining the accreditation process. Moreover, line staff should be more involved in the accreditation process so as to improve their commitment to it. Finally, care should be taken to select qualified auditors trained to be flexible in the auditing process. The study identifies issues for further study raised by the survey. A table charts the themes underlying the survey items, and one reference is listed.