Managing Change in Correction

Abstract

The correctional manager is a change agent and a focal point in a complex field of forces. He is in a strategic position for managing change—change within himself, his organization, and the community. To be constructive and effective, however, he must first make the goals of his organization explicit and create a climate in which his staff is able to implement those goals. A commonly neglected resource in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of correctional programs is the client—the probationer, the parolee, the inmate—who is also in an impor tant position to bring to the change process invaluable informa tion and ideas that might otherwise remain unknown. The correctional manager should be concerned with the motivations for change, the responsibilities for change, and the conditions for change. He must take into consideration all factors and persons affected by change if he is truly to remain in control of his organization.