NCJ Number
999
Date Published
Unknown
Length
115 pages
Annotation
A STUDY OF MISSOURI SUPERVISORY CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL REVEALED THAT THEY LACK HUMAN RELATIONS SKILLS, THEY NARROWLY DEFINE THEIR FUNCTIONS, AND THEY DESIRE MORE TECHNICAL TRAINING.
Abstract
THE STUDY AIMED TO HELP MISSOURI MIDDLE MANAGEMENT CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL DEVELOP AN APPROPRIATE TRAINING PROGRAM TO BUILD THEIR SKILLS. THE STUDY POPULATION CONSISTED OF SUPERVISORS FROM FIVE INSTITUTIONS IN MISSOURI CONTAINING ADULT AND JUVENILE MALE INMATES. SUPERVISORS FROM THE FIVE MAJOR CATEGORIES OF PERSONNEL--CUSTODIAL, MAINTENANCE, FOOD SERVICE, EDUCATIONAL, AND TREATMENT--WERE INCLUDED. CONFIDENTIAL QUESTIONNAIRES WERE GIVEN TO PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH 35 SUPERVISORS. OF THE 135 QUESTIONNAIRES DISTRIBUTED, USABLE QUESTIONNAIRES WERE RETURNED BY 75 PERSONS, INCLUDING 67 CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL AND 8 PROBATION AND PAROLE SUPERVISORS. ASKED TO LIST THEIR DUTIES AS THEY PERCEIVED THEM, 93 PERCENT OF THE RESPONDENTS NOTED SOME ASPECT OF SECURITY TO BE PART OF THEIR JOBS. GENERAL SUPERVISORY SKILLS, SUPERVISING PERSONNEL, AND SUPERVISING INMATES ACCOUNTED FOR THE NEXT GREATEST PROPORTION OF THE RESPONSES. MOST OF THE OTHER RESPONSES CAN BE CLASSIFIED UNDER TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE JOB. ONLY 5 PERCENT CONSIDERED TRAINING TO BE PART OF THEIR JOBS, IN SHARP CONTRAST TO PRIVATE INDUSTRY, WHERE TRAINING IN A HIGH-PRIORITY RESPONSIBILITY FOR PERSONS AT SIMILAR JOB LEVELS. FEW REGARDED HUMAN RELATIONS SKILLS TO BE IMPORTANT TO THEIR WORK AND, OF THOSE WHO DID, THE EMPHASIS WAS ON MAINTAINING INMATE MORALE, NOT STAFF MORALE. THUS, PERSONNEL GAVE A NARROW DEFINITION OF THEIR JOBS. TOPICS DESIRED IN A TRAINING PROGRAM INCLUDED TECHNICAL OR SPECIAL SKILLS APPROPRIATE FOR PRESENT JOB, MORE EFFECTIVE SUPERVISORY SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MOTIVATION OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, AND STRATEGIES FOR REHABILITATION. A SECOND PHASE OF THE STUDY CONSISTED OF ADMINISTERING TWO STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES, THE LEADERSHIP OPINION QUESTIONNAIRE AND THE SUPERVISORY INDEX, TO DETERMINE HOW MISSOURI CORRECTIONAL SUPERVISORY PERSONNEL COMPARE WITH MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN OTHER KINDS OF INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS. RESULTS OF THIS PHASE ARE INCLUDED IN THE REPORT. A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SUPERVISORS WAS IMPLEMENTED WHICH STRESSED KNOWLEDGE AND SPECIFIC SKILLS. AN ANNOTATED TOPICAL OUTLINE OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM IS INCLUDED, AS WELL AS FOOTNOTES AND FOUR APPENDIXES.