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| Back to the basics for effective leadership |
| By Robert Hood, Correctional Consultant |
| Published: 07/02/2007 |
By 2011 one in every 178 U.S. residents will live in prison, according to a report entitled, Public Safety, Public Spending: Forecasting America’s Prison Population 2007-2011 prepared by The Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project. America will have more than 1.7 million men and women in prison, which could cost taxpayers as much as $27.5 billion over the next five years beyond what is currently spent on prisons. The challenge for prison officials is to operate facilities in a cost-effective manner without jeopardizing security and quality programs. Public accountability of correctional administrators will be at an historic level. Regardless of the security level or mission of a facility, there are basic elements of effective prison leadership that will guide administrators through the upcoming years of enhanced scrutiny. Areas such as sanitation, inmate programs, security, key control, tool control, visibility, communications, responsiveness, staff training, inmate/staff accountability, teamwork, professionalism, policy knowledge and compliance, and completed staff work are described in the following manner: Sanitation – High standards of sanitation establish a symbol for inmates, staff, and visitors of a commitment to humane treatment and a pattern of excellent care. Inmate Programs – Programs that motivate, are well-organized and interesting, and at a suitable ability level for inmates support a climate of concern, productivity, and growth. Programs also give inmates hope and something to work toward. Security – Security is the responsibility of all staff and must be attended to with vigilance. It is an inter and intra-departmental responsibility. Key Control – The security of an institution depends on effective key control; its compromise may pose a threat to the safety of inmates, staff and the general public. Tool Control – Effective tool control prevents their use as weapons and in escape attempts. Visibility - Staff presence sends out several messages to the inmate population: that staff are interested, available, and responsive and that they are maintaining constant surveillance of the facility. Staff can respond to concerns, deficiencies and problems before they escalate to crisis. Communications - Communication serves as the “lifeblood” of any organization and is especially critical in a prison. Through constant and effective communications with inmates, staff stay informed and can react to problems before they escalate. Responsiveness – Attention to detail demands unequivocal observance of policy, procedures and individual requests. Inmate requests, phone calls, and requests for information from the public, the press and members of the legislature must be answered in a professional and timely manner. Staff Training - Training serves as the key to the development of a professional prison staff. It must be an institutional priority which is programmed into the life of the organization. Inmate Accountability – The institution should have clearly articulated policies for acceptable inmate behavior which should be carefully explained to each new arrival. It is critical that all staff, regardless of position, be part of the inmate accountability system. Staff Accountability – Staff also have duties to which they must be held accountable. High standards of expectation, mutually developed by the supervisor and staff member, will generally result in a higher quality of performance. It is also critical that supervisors be held accountable for holding their people accountable. Teamwork – Individual compliance with policy and procedures and subscription to high standards of professionalism alone will not produce a well-run prison. Much of the work of operating institutions involves common tasks such as security, caring for emotional health of inmates, scheduling, and programming. Professionalism – Professional practice incorporates the character, spirit, and methods of sound and appropriate operations. Professionalism demands individual integrity, loyalty to the organization, honor and trust. It includes attention to attire, mannerisms, and appropriate communications. Professional practice symbolizes a commitment of staff and the institution as a whole to a set of fundamental principles of humane and appropriate actions. It allows prison employees to lead by example. Policy Knowledge and Compliance – Governance by the rule-of-law avoids capriciousness, uncertainty and misunderstanding. Thorough and clearly articulated policy serves as the cornerstone of a system of rule-of-law within an organization. Completed Staff Work – For the prison to operate smoothly as a well-integrated system, staff must complete all work in a timely, organized, and professional manner. The effects of unfinished work generally reverberate throughout the organization. During my 32 year career in corrections, I was honored to serve as Warden in Arizona, Oregon, and Colorado. In each facility, a large 4 ft. by 8 ft. display described the elements of effective prison management and welcomed staff and members of the public as they entered the facility. Staff members were selected as “role models” for each of the basic elements and their photo remained on the display throughout the year. Although a monetary award was also provided, the recognition was of greater importance. New staff often used these role models to assist with their career development. Official visitors, inmate families, and other valued members of the community now understood how we ran our facility with exceptionally high standards; we were accountable to the inmates, staff, and general public. Prior to retirement, I was Warden of the United States Penitentiary “Supermax” facility in Colorado. As the nation’s top-security federal penitentiary and home to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ most violent, disruptive and escape-prone inmates, the mission brought many interesting challenges. At first I questioned how I could approach such a complex assignment, but quickly realized that applying the basics has been successful for decades and that they could be applied to any correctional setting. Staff were recognized and their photo displayed for the outstanding work they did each and every day. To this day, the display reminds staff and visitors of “the basics” as they enter the facility. During the next few years, prison administrators will need to manage operations and resources in a competent and effective manner to retain public trust. As budgets and human resources are impacted because of increased prison populations, they will need to focus on what basic elements of leadership have been effective throughout the history of corrections. Regardless of mission, facilities housing low-security inmates to penitentiaries housing our most disruptive and escape-prone inmates, effective administrators will continue to rely on what works. Robert Hood retired after 32 years of service as Warden of the United States Penitentiary “Supermax” in Florence, Colorado, and currently is a nationally recognized consultant who specializes in prison management. Comments may be sent to adxhood@aol.com Other articles by Hood: |
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Please read my book of rxperiences at the Florence, Colorado Federal Prison. THERE IS SOMETHING IN THE AIR by DAVID YARBROUGH available at xlibris.com or www.Yarbroughsbook.com