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Leadership
Attributes for Effective Correctional Services
Attitude and values
of a supervisor, in a prison facility, is significant to the operation and
effective management of that prison. Correctional managers and supervisors must
possess leadership attributes that include positive attitude and competence mentality;
they must have personal values and leadership skills. Leadership attributes
that are most important for effective correctional management include active
listening, empathy, capacity to deal with ambiguity and take risks, capacity to
ask for help and offer feedback, open-mindedness, rejection of skepticism, and
rejection of stereotypes.
Because correctional staff work in a very
stressful and challenging environment, they are more likely to experience
mental fatigue and burnout, compare to people who works in other human services
fields. When correctional staff are stressed, they may start feeling irritated
and stop caring about their work and responsibilities. They may start losing
their professional bearing and make mistakes that can ultimately affect the
safety and security of the prison facility. Therefore, it is the
responsibilities of leaders and supervisors to inspire and manage a working
environment that will encourage consistent professional attitude within a
housing unit. Unit managers and supervisors are responsible for enforcing
completion of task, in accordance with the policy and procedure; while at the
same time, supervise and manage a working atmosphere that encourages high
morale and positive attitude.
A good leader must possess the skill to pull
subordinates together and inspire them to always strive for the best. He or she
must become a team developer and a motivator. A good supervisor must put the
need of his or her staff as priority while, at the same time, continues to
build professional relationship with them. This is the most effective way to
build unit cohesion and maintain positive attitude within a correctional
housing unit.
Nevertheless, leaders and supervisors of
correctional housing units must maintain a culture of reward and punishment
within the unit. This includes, but not limited to, using verbal and nonverbal
counseling, evaluating and documenting staff’ satisfactory and unsatisfactory
performance, recommending reward and punishment that are fair and consistent,
and constantly assigning disciplinary for unacceptable personal conducts.
Correctional institutions are so large and complex that they require average of
300 staff to operate and manage. As a result, conducts that are unacceptable and
staff performances that are unsatisfactory are sometimes inevitable. Thus, it
is the responsibility of the leaders and managers to reduce or eliminate
unacceptable personal conducts and unsatisfactory job performance within their
housing unit. This can be done by constantly leading by example and effectively
communicating what behavior or action is acceptable, and what is not.
Reid Mandell, B., &
Schram, B. (2012). An introduction to human services: Policy and practice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education.
