The failure of correctional administrators to provide adequate recreational activities has contributed to increased violence and tension. But currently no structured decision-making process exists within jail or prison management systems that allows for innovative approaches to recreation problems. The HSRD model was designed as an intervention agent for recreation systems change, and the PIRA effects change by incorporating a variety of inputs in program design decisionmaking, some of which are derived from weighing inmate preferences, needs, and institutional constraints. Critical thinking analysis, the process of reasoning to formulate an alternative approach to a problem or issue, is important to the HSRD and PIRA models. It helps staff realistically analyze a recreation problem and develop response alternatives based on sound inferences drawn from fact. Reasoning procedures in this process include assessing the environmental impacts of the issue, presenting the argument, determining weaknesses in the argument along with its validity and logical structure, identifying to whom to present the argument, types of language and visual aids to use, and evaluation. Four references are included.