U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Creating a Reform Environment: A Case Study in Community Corrections and Coalition Building

NCJ Number
108125
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 1 Issue: 3 Dated: (October 1986) Pages: 329-343
Author(s)
J F Gilsinan
Date Published
1986
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article presents a descriptive case study of the conceptualization, context, and coalition building that preceded the implementation of a Missouri community corrections act.
Abstract
Following a literature review on correctional reform, this article discusses the theory of organizational problem cycles, which pertains to an organization's ability to adjust to changing environmental contexts. This perspective provides a framework for analyzing how the different policy levels impinge on one another and on the organizational context. It also informs how organizational dynamics change the intention, goals, and operating procedures of reformers, policymakers, and policy implementors. The case study of Missouri's community corrections reform is presented together with an analysis of how organizational dynamics produce particular kinds of coalition structures. These coalitions influence the formal public articulation of the community corrections policy and its implementation. How these initial coalitions exert a continuing influence on the implementation of community corrections in Missouri and create conditions conducive to further correctional reform is also described. The article concludes with suggestions for those interested in influencing the policy process and in evaluating the results of such efforts. A 28-item bibliography. (Author abstract modified)