The prison or corrections hierarchy could also be thought of as a chain of command. The chain of command in a corrections institution establishes the responsible person next in line for a corrections officer to address his or her issues and concerns. The command structure of a correctional institution is similar to the ranks and configuration found in a police department; however, different titles may be used to describe various ranks (Perez & Moore, 2012). In similarities to a police organizational structure, the correctional structure has evolved tremendously throughout the century. Recall Sir Robert Peel’s vision of a professional police organization and compare it today’s professional law enforcement organizations in the United States.
Policing has been a part of America for many decades. In fact, policing was known to exist prior to 1066, the year of the Normandy Invasion of Britain. Throughout the years policing has been a complicated and ongoing progress. The people of England did not have a stabilized policing standard and were often responsible for protecting and serving themselves. As early as the 1600s the Colonial America introduced the English styles of policing; citizens were responsible for monitoring community members’ behavior. Early constables and sheriffs were with the increased rate of crime and developed a ‘sort’ in community policing known as “watch and ward.” Later throughout history in the early 1700s policing became an
I spent my third and fourth session of my practicum with Constable Dwayne Harrison and Constable Paul Davis. Both members of the Lethbridge Regional Police Service (LRPS) are in the patrol unit; responding to calls and investigating. Patrol work is broad, responding to calls that mostly consist of theft, mischief, and domestic. It defines the police as a public service and making the public happy to have someone to solve their problems.
Most of his time at Sing Sing was consumed being in close contact with the inmates, in dining halls and housing galleries, doing strip searches, searching cells, writing disciplinary infraction reports, and confiscating inmate contraband. In addition, because they live in an enforced state of near powerlessness, answering to inmates who required support with a seemingly endless range of personal complications occupied much of Conover’s time. Conover’s account of the correctional officer’s role is consistent with those opinions offered by others who have firsthand experience of prison life. Virtually all serious, firsthand interpretations of correctional work define a gap between the training and the realism of the job, official policies and procedures that require routine avoidance, poor associations between line officers and administrators, and the undermining power of stress on professional conduct and personal life.
Conover’s purpose in writing this book not only to share his experience as a correctional officer but to also help readers get beyond the stereotype of the brutal guard seen on television and rumors but to see correctional officers as individuals, offering us a chance to understand
The history of policing dates back several thousand years ago when there was no order or peace and inhumane acts upon citizens was the norm with religious, political, or military police acting as the law. Policing was unstable and unorganized. Citizens took the law into their own hands and served as judge, jury, and executioner. There was not such a thing as being “innocent until proven guilty.” If the community believed an individual was guilty of a crime then the community would handle the offense themselves. American policing stems from the English heritage; crime prevention and control, preventive
1. Information regarding the Department of Corrections’ investigation of complaints related to several correctional officers will spread throughout the institution along certain channels (Stojkovic, Kalinich, Klofas, 2008). Starting with the prison warden this information will need to be efficient and accurate as it travels throughout the organization. Being that the prison warden will be the first to be informed of this information, the chain of command would be downward communication. This type of communication allows a clear passageway for the information to be sent to subordinates and provides for an effective management of the tone and delegation of the message (Stojkovic et al., 2008). The channels that are chosen in regards to the
One major problem of prison overcrowding is the effect it has on prison organizational stability. The more prisoners and people put in jail have made it harder for prison guards and staff to monitor and control them. The entire prison system must make enormous changes in order to accommodate for the number of inmates versus the number of prison guards (O’Leary). This often results in a misclassification of offenders. Many who come through the system are classified based on the amount of space available instead of on the security level and programs that would be most suitable for them (Howard). “It is not uncommon to find inmates, classified as medium security, incarcerated in maximum security institutions, while other inmates are in medium security who were previously considered candidates for maximum security” (Howard). Misclassifying offenders often leads to “slow progress through the corrections system as well as a slow exit” (Howard). This in turn only prolongs and increases the overcrowding problem (Howard). The corrections programs should be reformed to meet the needs of the inmates rather than the inmates having to adjust to meet the requirements of the system. Offenders need to be on specific rehabilitation programs that are customized to fit their needs, such as alcohol and drug abuse programs and so forth.
“Chain of command, also referred to as a scalar principle, is an organization mechanism that establishes formal lines of communication within a police department” (Cordner, 2016, p.116). I am sure that we all have heard the term chain of command, but what does this exactly means. I am not a police officer, however, I am a security officers. One thing in this industry that I’ve learned is that if I have any concerns that needs to be addressed the my first contact will be the Sergeant. “The chain of command is establishes a direct path between every person in the department and the chief”(Cordner, 2016,p. 116). The Sergeant in my department is the first line supervisor to contact. In other cases the Chain of Command is useful for when there are some orders that are given that only a particular supervisor is needed, you will
At any given time, a single corrections officer, can expect to be outnumbered by upwards of 400 inmates (Conover, 2011). It can be chilling to work in the midst of hundreds of inmates, some of which initiate attacks and inappropriate relationships. However, other issues have impacted the psychological health and physical safety of the staff. Detrimental factors have included heavy workloads, the prisons physical structure, and a lack of support from both peers and superiors. Each workplace issue has been in addition to role problems, specifically role ambiguity and role conflict (Schaufeli & Peeters, 2011). It is believed that anyone of these undesirable facets of prison should be enough to deter the public from attempting to enter such
For over a century police departments in the United States and across the world have been following Sir Robert Peel's twelve principals of policing. Almost nothing or very little has changed since these principals were first implemented in England's "Scotland Yard". Many of these principals are behind today's investigating and policing practices.
Prison systems are tough to work in because of the nature of the system as well as the history of some of the inmates. It is important for all individuals performing any duty with the prison to work as a cohesive team. All team members should feel safe and respected regardless or rank, seniority, gender, etc. When trust is broken among peers and management of those working in the Prison System, the system becomes broken and the purpose will not be served effectively. Individuals with Leadership positions should not use their authority to take advantage or misuse other employees. As well as education is used to empower and equip individuals to strive for a better life and a rich outlook on current circumstances, and anyone working with that goals nor anyone else should become a victim of Sexual
A prison warden is the chief executive of the institution and oversees the entire operation within a prison system. A prison warden needs to possess an array of skills that is capable of managing “large groups of employees, and to operate facilities in a way that keeps inmates, staff, and society safe” (Clear et al., 2013, p. 321). Studies from Clear et al. (2013) further indicate that today’s prison warden must function effectively despite decreased autonomy and increased accountability” (p. 321). The role and responsibility of a prison warden are comparable to a police chief’s because it requires extensive knowledge in administration, and experience in various areas within the department or institution.
Correctional institutions function well when the interaction between prisons and staff is effective as it deals with the normal day to day stress experienced. However, prison riots occur to weaken the administration of the institution and a prisoner’s perception of rapid change in the institution. As a result, the integrative theory was developed by Useem and Kimball in 1989 to explain the nature of prison riots (Boin & Rattray, 2004). This theory was broken down into two areas; administrative Institutional breakdown. The administrative breakdown is described as a failure of a prison administration to preserve a legitimate way of working in the face of external shifts (Boin & Rattray, 2004). It views riots as a natural response to poor conditions in correctional
The Emergence of Professionalism is the importance of having a police department that is and looks professional. This was sought after by leaders that were nationally recognized. These leaders came together to help improve the police force. By making the police seem more professional they had to make some changes. These changes came in the form of several different professional societies.
Eight studies met all incorporation and quality evaluation criteria. Five classifications of authoritative stressors among prison guards working in grown-up restorative offices were inspected: stressors characteristic for the occupation, part in the association, rewards at work, supervisory connections at work and the hierarchical structure and atmosphere. Of these, hierarchical structure and atmosphere was observed to be identified with prison guards' employment stress and burnout. Authoritative structure and atmosphere included hierarchical backing, authoritative equity, approaches, power, and capacity to take part in decision‐making. The creators inferred that that systemic intercessions ought to concentrate on enhancing the hierarchical structure and atmosphere of the restorative offices, and that this would best be finished by enhancing correspondence in the middle of administration and prison