CJ 550 9-1 Final Project Submission: Organizational Assessment and Recommendations Report
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7-2MilestoneFour-PerformanceReport1.docx2
RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE THE FDC 2
7-2 Milestone Four: Performance Report
Destiny Nance
Southern New Hampshire University
CJ 550
The Florida Department of Corrections performance assessment provides several insights into the inner working of the organization. It helps to give an evaluation of the various functionalities of the organization. This allows for analyzing whether the organization operates in line with its mission (Sakala, 2019). The assessment shows a few ways in which the organization is operating in line with its mission. One of the ways it is doing this is by providing rehabilitative care to every inmate, regardless of features such as religion, race, age, creed, national origin, or ethnicity (Sakala, 2019). There have been no cases of discrimination by hindering individuals from accessing rehabilitative care. The organization also complies with its goals by providing teaching programs to reduce recidivism. Despite a lack of funding, the organization has made an effort to provide programs such as books and GED programs to reduce recidivism among its residents.
The organization fails to comply with its mission with regard to research and development. The Florida Department of Corrections has yet to innovate new products and ways to attend to prisoners, relying on old ways (Latessa & Lovins, 2019). This is by no means a fault of their own. The department is underfunded, meaning most funds go to staffing and operations, leaving little in innovation and development. Another form of non-compliance by the Florida Department of Corrections is its inability to offer proper rehabilitation due to underfunding (Latessa & Lovins, 2019). While the organization does not discriminate, it has been unable to offer rehabilitative services to its residents properly. Many of the staff in the organization are often too busy keeping order and locking inmates away from society to bother with rehabilitation. In the absence of a prisoner's initiative, rehabilitation can fail to happen (Latessa & Lovins, 2019). The organization has also failed to implement research models that have been known to have results. For example, Norway leads the world with the lowest recidivism rates due to its prison system (Tuck et al., 2022). The Florida Department of Corrections has failed to implement similar systems to achieve similar results (Latessa & Lovins, 2019).
One of the recommendations to improve the organization’s performance is to improve rehabilitation by providing proper accommodation to its residents (Lucken, 2020). The norm in America regarding the department of corrections is to punish and not to rehabilitate. This means that inmates are often kept in poor living conditions, which often results in institutionalization. To reverse this, the first recommendation is to improve prison conditions to facilitate rehabilitation. The second recommendation is the provision of services that promote rehabilitation, such as education access, access to psychological care, and skills. An inmate who learns a particular skill in prison is less likely to enter into crime again than one who has no skill (Lucken, 2020). Another recommendation is the introduction of research and development in the FDC. The department has yet to invest in research and development, which is one reason its growth has stalled. The department must invest in growth, which requires investment in research in development.
One of the short-term steps the organization can take to implement the recommendations is directing funding toward programs that encourage learning. This means that the FDC should increase the funding aimed at programs that reduce institutionalization, such as learning and psychological assistance programs (Lucken, 2020). However, many of the changes that can have a significant impact on the current system are long-term and involve external factors. One of these actions that can aid in implementing changes in the FDC is the use of legislation to petition for an increase in funding toward improving conditions in correction facilities. With an increase in funds, the FDC can implement the recommendations, such as increasing programs that decrease the chances of recidivism by increasing the staff in corrections centers (Lucken, 2020). Another long-term plan is the use of legislation to improve living conditions in correction centers. Private corrections centers are an integral part of the FDC, and they can only be impacted by the policy. This is why steps to ensure policy changes are essential in implementing the suggested recommendations. For example, suppose a federal policy that provides a standard of how an organization should treat its inmates is implemented. In that case, every entity under the FDC will comply, resulting in change.
References
Latessa, E. J., & Lovins, L. B. (2019). Privatization of community corrections. Criminology & Public Policy, 18(2), 323-341.
Lucken, K. (2020). Game changer? The impact of the reentry movement on post-prison supervision. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 31(1), 58-79.
Sakala, L. (2019). Smart Reforms to Prison Time Served Requirements in Florida. Urban Institute.
Tuck, R. H., Damsa, D., & Kullman, E. (2022). All-foreign prisons in the United States, England and Wales, and Norway: Related logics and local expressions. Theoretical Criminology, 13624806221116092.
