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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 3:50 am
Time: 3:50 am
Results for correctional institutions (u.s.)
1 results foundAuthor: Rengifo, Andres F. Title: Context and Impact of Organizational Changes in State Corrections Agencies: A Study of Local Discourses and Practices in Kansas and Michigan Summary: Over the past five years, the states of Kansas and Michigan engaged in a comprehensive re-examination of their correctional systems, aiming for a better allocation of resources and more effective interventions to reintegrate offenders into the community. In Kansas, this process was largely known as the Kansas Offender Risk Reduction and Reentry Program (KOR3P); in Michigan, a similar set of reforms was developed as the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative (MPRI). While research has documented the nature of such large-scale institutional reorganizations in corrections (Austin & Fabelo, 2004; Jacobson, 2005), little is known about the specific contexts in which corrections reforms are planned and executed (for exceptions see Zimring, Hawkins & Kamin, 2001; Clarkson & Morgan, 1995). In some jurisdictions, initiatives have been primarily motivated by state-wide efforts to reduce public spending. In other jurisdictions, reforms have emerged from within corrections through more substantive collaborations between corrections managers, staff, and key external partners—governors’ offices, legislatures, and agencies of technical assistance. The knowledge of "what works" in the process of planning, implementing, and executing of these system-wide reforms — as well as their challenges and pitfalls — has traditionally been limited to those directly involved in specific initiatives. From a broader perspective, it remains unclear to what extent the form and content of reform efforts are sensitive to the local social and institutional contexts in which corrections managers and staff operate. Such context may alter the structure of reforms, depending on levels of commitment and interest of key decision-makers. Local contexts can also alter the content of reforms via challenges in the implementation and execution of strategic programs. More generally, the sustainability and integrity of reforms depends on the relative availability of a wide range of internal and external resources – including leadership, technology, financial resources, and political and social support – that vary significantly across jurisdictions. This project documents the dynamics and context of organizational change within the Departments of Corrections (DOCs) of Kansas and Michigan, focusing on how these internal and external factors shaped the recent reforms. We conceptualize these two jurisdictions as laboratories of corrections policy innovation in which measures to control prison populations and enhance service delivery were implemented despite challenging institutional and social environments. As such, our study seeks to provide an empirical foundation for the development of more general propositions regarding the relationship between effective processes of organizational change within corrections and the social context in which these changes are implemented. Documenting the source, content, rationale, and context of these changes is important for disseminating policy innovations and expanding the existing framework for understanding corrections reform. The present report is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief history of corrections policy in Kansas and Michigan since the early 1980s. Chapter 2 examines the immediate context, and process of design and planning of the KOR3P and the MPRI in the early 2000s. Chapter 3 documents the process of implementation of these and other reforms guided by Evidence-Based Practices (EBP), including the realignment of internal processes as well as the overhauling of inter-institutional relations and community outreach. Chapter 4 then briefly examines the continuing internal and external challenges confronting KOR3P and MPRI. It discusses the impact of changing resource levels, staff resistance and fatigue, and evolving goals of other stakeholders on the sustainability of reforms. The last section of the report provides several recommendations for sustaining reform efforts in both Kansas and Michigan and other states. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Corrections, 2010. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 24, 2011 at: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025241.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025241.pdf Shelf Number: 122898 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationCorrectional Institutions (U.S.)Corrections ReformPrison AdministrationPrisoner Reentry |