Virtually every aspect of a jail’s
operations—including the ability to fulfill its mission—ultimately depends
on the availability of qualified staff. As a result, it is not surprising to
find that, regardless of jail size or location, its workforce has been
identified as the priority issue of sheriffs and jail administrators
throughout the country. According to those who lead and manage jails,
recruiting, retaining, and developing employees are more critical challenges
than almost any other issue.
In response to this concern, the Center for Innovative Public Policies, Inc.
(CIPP) has been awarded a Cooperative Agreement from the U. S. Dept. of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
effective October 1, 2007 to work with jail leaders to identify promising
practices to address jail workforce issues.
The following will be among the project’s
primary implementation strategies:
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Assemble a national advisory group of
sheriffs and jail administrators to guide and assist with project
activities;
-
Conduct a comprehensive literature
review of promising recruitment, retention, and succession planning
strategies used by jails, prisons, and other public as well as private
sector organizations; and
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Collect real-time information via
surveys and follow-up interviews with both recently-employed jail
personnel and those with five or more years of experience.
These strategies will result in a
user-friendly workbook-style toolkit designed to enhance the ability of
sheriffs and jail administrators to effectively recruit and retain qualified
employees, as well as proactively develop the internal leadership succession
plans necessary to meet 21st century jail challenges.
Project Status as of May 1, 2008:
-
Members of the national advisory panel
agreed to serve, and their first meeting was held in January 2008.
-
Two national surveys – one for jail
line staff and one for jail administrators – were available to the field
from April 1 – 25, 2008.
-
Notifications to the field were
provided through mailing notices to all jails in the United States, and
using the American Jail Association’s email list. The national advisory
panel and professional organizations also helped spread the word.
-
The literature review is completed.
-
Two focus groups will be held to get
input from the field during the American Jail Association’s conference
in Sacramento. These two sessions will be held on Tuesday, May 6th from
8:30 - 10:00 and from 2:15 - 3:45 in Rooms 304 and 305 of the Convention
Center in Sacramento.
For more helpful information see:
Jeanne B. Stinchcomb and Susan W.
McCampbell (2008), Jail Leaders Speak: Current and Future Challenges to
Jail Operations and Administration: A Summary Report to the Bureau of
Justice Assistance, Center for Innovative Public Policies, Inc., Naples,
Florida.
http://www.cipp.org/pdf/FocusGroupReport.pdf
Jeanne B. Stinchcomb, Susan W. McCampbell, Elizabeth P. Layman,
FutureForce: A Guide to Building the 21st Century Community Corrections
Workplace, U. S. Department of Justice, National Institute of
Corrections.
http://nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/Library/021799.pdf
Susan W. McCampbell and Paula N. Rubin, “Effectively Managing a
Multi-Generational Workforce in Corrections: A Training Curriculum”,
National Institute of Corrections, March 2004.
http://www.nicic.org/Library/019950
For more project information, or to contribute a promising practice for
recruitment, retention, succession planning and/or leadership development,
contact Susan McCampbell @ cippinc@aol.com
Check back at CIPP’s website for the data from
the two national surveys!
