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

Toward Better Use of Information: Correctional Managers and Researchers Working Together

NCJ Number
133421
Journal
Federal Prisons Journal Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (Summer 1991) Pages: 12-18
Author(s)
H M Lebowitz
Date Published
1991
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses seven factors which increase the opportunity for research to be used in correctional agencies.
Abstract
Taken together, they can help improve the working relationship between correctional managers and researchers and can integrate research with administrative decisionmaking. They include: an agency structure that formally links evaluative and administrative decisionmaking components; openness on the part of administrators and evaluators to give and receive information; capacity of administrators and evaluators to perform their roles effectively; a reward system to provide positive reinforcement to administrators; physical proximity of evaluators and managers along with proximity of research information to the decisionmaking process; ongoing communication between managers and evaluators; and linkage between research and administration. These factors overlap and complement each other and can facilitate the creation of a climate for the effective use of evaluative, statistical, and other research information. Also critical to increasing research usage is focus on topics that are relevant and of high priority to management. 5 notes and 13 references