HRM Criminal Justice America\'s Correctional

HRM Criminal Justice

America's correctional institutions are clearly at the pinnacle of a transition, as criminal and prison populations grow and mandates frequently create systems where discretion for incarceration is removed from traditional roles the need for police officers, in and outside of leadership roles, as well as the whole of their support staff and corrections officers to fully organize utilizing the foundations of human resource management as a guide. (Gottfredson & McConville, 1987, p. 200) the utilization of a traditional private business standard, i.e. human resource management in what has traditionally been a hierarchical system, of public servants is a direct reflection of the privatization of many institutions, (Coyle, Campbell, & Neufeld, 2003, p. 9) and yet it could greatly improve communication, job design, leadership and supervision.

Institutions are increasingly utilizing job analysis as a guide to develop reasonable expectations for job roles, as well as to designate the system of communications and keep individuals motivated to do the work they do, based on a better understanding of its roles. (Sims, 2002, p. 75) a better understanding of the role one plays, will always improve his or her ability to do the job to the standards it needs done. The powerful tools of the private business community, in the form of tried and true methods of human resource management will likely benefit those who are under the watchful eye of the law they seek to enforce, at all times. Leadership roles, as team leaders rather than enforcers of militaristic top down models better understand their role and both the leaders and the subordinates have a better opportunity to voice concerns as well as offer solutions to intrinsic and extrinsic problems.

Communication, has long been a difficult subject, in relation to corrections, work, as it is crucial that communications be timely as well as correctly developed through a chain of command that will need to be strong enough to hold up to scrutiny in court. The purpose of utilizing communications technology, and as up-to-date as possible is not a matter of convenience, for police or corrections officers as well as support staff and leadership, it is a matter of life and death, the life and/or death of the officers and the public potentially. This is not to mention that today's employees, expect technology to improve their job performance and the ease at which they work.

Another expectation of employees is that the electronics and telecommunications revolutions will improve the quality of work life. Innovations in communications and computer technology will accelerate the pace of change and as a result lead to many innovations in HRM. (Sims, 2002, p. 17)

As has been said before the development of HRM that elicits the improvement of technology utilization, within the field is not only a matter of employee expectations, but also demands from the community and others with regard to improved abilities to protect and serve the public.

Corrections institutions that have adopted working models of human resource management have specific goals, one of which is to meet the demands of a workforce with higher expectations for communication and to some degree the right to communicate, needs and desires, as they arise, to ensure a more cohesive and effective performance of job tasks.

As levels of education have increased within the population, values and expectations among employees have shifted. There has been a steady increase in the number of employees with a college degree. The result has been an emphasis on the increased participation by employees at all levels. Previous notions about managerial authority continue to give way to employee influence and involvement, along with mechanisms for upward communication and due process. (Sims, 2002, p. 17)

The education of the workforce increases yearly, as people expand their education to meet certain goals at work or to obtain better employment. This I true inside and outside corrections, as more and more regulations about education become a part of the standard set of prerequisites for employment, in the corrections field, so to do these individuals seek education outside of the traditional academy, and learn about organizational systems that are not as rigid and militaristic, as the corrections industry has been historically. The result is that employees at all levels for their own protection as well as to create a system of mutial support among leaders and subordinates have begun to demand collaborative rights of communication and input on job design, and leadership practices. Empowerment of employees has long been shown to be a positive aspect of individual employee motivation as well as the desire to be a part of a team that works together to provide holistic knowledge of community problems and concerns and therefore contributes to solutions. (Sims, 2002, p. 18) being a member of the team that proposed a solution or the individual who had a good idea that will potentially solve a problem is empowering and motivational and will likely increase retention and decrease problematic communication, such as collusion, a phenomena that occurs when individuals do not feel that the top down system is effective in resolving problems that are dealt with from the bottom up.

As has been said previously, every step that an individual takes, in the corrections field is under the potential scrutiny of a great many individuals, some of whom have the power to fire or even prosecute an employee for inappropriate behavior. The corrections, industry, must then be hyper vigilant individually and as teams to make sure that procedures are followed and that employment and actions all meet the federal requirements and regulations, as well as the regulations already in place at the local level.

How successfully an organization manages its human resources depends to a large extent on its ability to deal effectively with government regulations. Operating within the legal framework requires keeping track of the external legal and social environments and developing internal systems (for example, supervisory training and grievance procedures) to ensure compliance and minimize complaints. (Sims, 2002, p. 18)

The development of human resource systems that answer to the needs of police officers, corrections officers, their supervisors and the support staff that assists them in carrying out their duties is essential to being able to function through the transition of privatization as well as increased criminality and incarceration.