NCJ Number
101598
Date Published
1985
Length
32 pages
Annotation
To provide information of relevance to manpower resource allocations, a time analysis was conducted of the activities and services undertaken by juvenile correctional officers (JCO's) at three South Carolina correctional facilities. Onsite observations of 1-2 JCO's per shift, conducted on 10 days, included both weekday and weekend and day and evening hours.
Abstract
Analysis of all observations indicates that supervision of individuals and groups accounted for 39 percent of JCO time, transport and escort for 20 percent, documentation for 11 percent, specific security functions for 6 percent, counseling for 5 percent, and other activities for 19 percent. Heavy concentrations of students in the dorms occurred during early morning and over an extended period around midday for lunch and teacher planning periods. During these periods JCO's engaged in considerable escorting and transporting. For the balance of the day, several students invariably remained in the dorms. Thus, JCO's on the day shift are required for supervisory responsibilities at all times, although the number of students supervised may fluctuate from 1 or 2 to more than 40. Results suggest that efforts to reduce dayshift allocations will require organizational changes at the campuses or schools. Supplementary questionnaire data indicate that JCO's saw managing staff burnout as the major training priority. Tables.