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Organizational Diffusion of a Correctional Reform

NCJ Number
114857
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1987) Pages: 174-190
Author(s)
R Winn; M C Musheno; N C Jurik
Date Published
1987
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This paper focuses on a Western State's effort to implement a reform policy to professionalize its correctional system, specifically, the implementation of a new inservice training regimen designed to instill professional ethics and practices in the correctional work force.
Abstract
Conceptually, the study rejects the top-down perspective of the policy process, which holds that public officials can achieve routine implementation of policies through the use of bureaucratic controls and hierarchical authority. Using mixed methods and the triangulation of data sources, the study found that differences in organizational capacity and commitment were important determinants of why the training regimen was implemented variably across three facilities of a large correctional complex. Findings also indicate that highly committed participants found productive ways to use the training regimen, which were unanticipated by the reformers. This research contributes to a growing body of inquiry which challenges routine administration and goal fidelity as appropriate constructs for studying social policy reforms. 3 tables, 6 notes, 38-item bibliography. (Author abstract modified)