The Objective Of The Management Of Correctional Fa

The objective of the management of correctional facilities is to manage inmates, elicit cooperative compliance from inmates, prepare inmates for re-entry into society, and guide inmates into being good citizens. These objectives require leadership skills in interacting with inmates, exercising power and authority, and improving the coexistence of staff and inmates and staff in correctional facilities. The leadership skills include knowing when to deploy the appropriate behavioral control mechanisms to achieve certain objectives. The unique environment of correctional facilities determines managerial techniques and practices in correctional facilities. Work in correctional facilities is characterized by inherent instability and relationships based on mistrust. Effective leadership strategies are anchored on relationships and the nature of relationships in correctional facilities are that of power and authority over clientele. The clientele is detained and does not want to be detained and have power and authority exercised over them (Tait, 2011). Therefore, within correctional facilities cooperation and compliance is on transactional basis. In minimum-security facilities, inmates would cooperate in order not to jeopardize their minimum custody status by transfer to higher security facility. In high security, facilities where the incentive of retaining minimum custody status is not available minimum benefits can accrue to transactional relationships