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FUTURE OF CORRECTIONAL INDUSTRIES - ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES (FROM AMERICAN CORRECTIONAL ASSOCIATION PROCEEDINGS OF THE 106TH ANNUAL CONGRESS OF CORRECTIONS, 1976 - SEE NCJ-49145)

NCJ Number
49156
Author(s)
J P WEST
Date Published
1976
Length
11 pages
Annotation
STUDIES OF THE GOALS AND OPERATIONS OF PRISON INDUSTRIES ARE REVIEWED, LEGAL AND PROGRAM CONSTRAINTS ARE IDENTIFIED, EVALUATION METHODS ARE ASSESSED, AND MODELS FOR LONG-RANGE PRISON INDUSTRY PLANNING ARE PROPOSED.
Abstract
STUDIES CONDUCTED IN 1970, 1975, AND 1976 SUGGEST THAT PRISON INDUSTRY PROGRAMS, WHILE A KEY ASSET IN THE TOTAL CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM, ARE NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS THEY SHOULD BE. ATTEMPTING TO SERVE MULTIPLE AIMS (REHABILITATION, PROFIT, SECURITY, PRODUCTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES), THE PROGRAMS ARE EVALUATED AGAINST POORLY DEFINED OBJECTIVES. CONSTRAINTS ON PRISON INDUSTRIES INCLUDE LEGISLATION LIMITING THE MARKETING OF PRISON-MADE GOODS, LACK OF CAPITAL, THE LABOR-INTENSIVE NATURE OF MOST PRISON INDUSTRIES, THE TENDENCY OF THE INDUSTRIES TO BE LIMITED TO JOBS REQUIRING LITTLE TRAINING, AND THE INEFFICIENCY THAT RESULTS FROM THE TURNOVER OF EMPLOYEES AND THE INTERRUPTION OF WORK HOURS BY OTHER PROGRAMS. OTHER PROBLEMS ARE THE LACK OF ADEQUATE ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES, POOR INVENTORY CONTROL, HIGH OVERHEAD COSTS, LIMITED PREPARATION FOR THE INMATE'S RETURN TO THE COMMUNITY, LIMITED MANAGER ACCOUNTABILITY, AND LOW PRODUCTIVITY. PROCEDURES FOR VALID, OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS OF PRISON INDUSTRY GOALS ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE LONG-RANGE PLANNING APPROACH USED BY MANY BUSINESSES CAN BE APPLIED TO PRISON INDUSTRIES. EACH INSTITUTION EVALUATES ITS OWN STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, CONSTRAINTS (E.G., RESTRICTIVE LAWS, THE PUBLIC MOOD). FROM THIS BASE, OBTAINABLE OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, AND RESOURCE NEEDS ARE DEVELOPED. MODELS ILLUSTRATING THE APPLICATION OF LONG-RANGE PLANNING TO THREE TYPES OF PRISON INDUSTRIES (SECURITY-ORIENTED, REHABILITATION-ORIENTED, AND COMBINED ORIENTATION) ARE PRESENTED. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (LKM)