Assignment: Operational Scenario
Part A: The Warden
You are a new warden at a large prison somewhere in the United States. The prison that you have been assigned to has been plagued with numerous physical altercations and has had three small riots, two on separate cellblocks, and another in the chow hall. Furthermore, gang-related violence has occurred in this prison and, as is usually the case in prisons, these gang loyalties fall along racial lines.
Further still, your prison staff has had numerous problems based on racial identity.
During turnout prior to shift-change, you can see that the staff arranges themselves according to racial groups. Also, when the prison tried to arrange diversity training last month, an all-time high was reached in employee absenteeism and there were more employee arguments and disagreements. The training seemed to polarize the staff even further.
It has become a source of concern for you because you now have reason to believe that some staff may essentially be turning a "blind eye" to inmate activities if the staff member and the inmate are of the same race/ethnicity. This naturally compromises the security of the institution and places everyone's safety in jeopardy.
Upon attempting to improve employee racial relations in your prison institution, you note that there appears to be two rough "group views" within your prison staff. There is one group who is "hard-lined" and conservative. This group takes a punitive approach toward the inmate population. The other group is more "soft" and liberal in approach and takes a less restrictive approach to human relations with the inmate population. These groups seem to be at great odds with one another, and the irony is that there are members of each racial/ethnic background and of both genders who subscribe to BOTH views.
Reflect on the above scenario and answer the following questions using a 350-word minimum for each answer.
1. Discuss attitudes among employees in an organization. Specifically, explain how poor attitudes among correctional staff in a state prison might affect other aspects of that prison.
Organizational Behavior
2. Discuss the importance of employee satisfaction within this prison. What are some likely indicators that can alert prison management of poor employee satisfaction within that prison?
3. What type of plan would you implement to address the problems within the prison? When deciding how to address these problems within the prison, which of the three ethical decision criteria would be the best fit and why?
4. What innovative solutions could be used to address the problems within the prison?
5. Within a prison, performance and social arrangement norms are likely to be norms that reinforce consistency among staff. How is this likely to affect overall job satisfaction? What effect will it have on employees who are not conforming in personality?
Part B: Ethical Behavior
Modern Criminal Justice managers want to promote ethical behaviors in their organizations. Considering this statement, answer the following questions using a 350-word minimum for each answer.
1. Discuss the three ways leaders can manage ethical behavior in their organizations. Provide at least one example from a current law enforcement agency that supports your discussion.
2. Are the management theories discussed only a U.S. concept or do other countries manage their organizations in this way? Explain your answer and provide examples.