Inside the Old Red Barn
Final Paper

Regina L. Ford
Southern New Hampshire University
August 28, 2012

Abstract
A corrections manager faces the daunting task of dealing with incarcerated felons daily. They have the responsibility of ensuring inmates are protected by their Constitutional Amendments in an effort of guaranteeing they receive a humane and lawful environment. A manager must deal with budget cuts and reductions in staff during economic downturn. And with the remaining staff, that same manager must develop and implement continuous improvement methods for staff morale and safety.

Inside the Old Red Barn Austin McCormick once said, "Give me the right staff, and I can run a maximum security prison in an old red barn." (Phillips & McConnell, 2005). With the right training and mindset, corrections managers have the ability to run their facilities, or barns, successfully. Barns come in many shapes, styles, and characteristics. Same too applies to the people within the barn. Each have their own responsibilities and goals. By the people in the barn, we mean those who are incarcerated and the staff that manage them. In the majority of the public's eyes, and maybe even in their minds, they believe inmates should be stripped of their rights. Locked behind bars and away from civilization, the prisoners are kept away from society. Hidden in hopes of never having to see them again. For some inmates, their life sentences keep them invisible. But on the inside, their visibility is present twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They remain noticeable to the staff that manage them. By managing them, we refer to the Constitutional Amendments that guarantee them a humane and lawful correctional environment. Our barn has weathered a lot. It has had to overcome many changes. Some of those changes have been the negative impact of the economy. Budgets have experienced shortfalls and workforce reductions. Managers can effectively manage their workforce reduction by developing and implementing specific plans for action and sharing those experiences among other managers and neighboring facilities. As with any structure, our barn must be maintained. The only way to successfully maintain our facility is to evaluate and understand the importance of continuous improvement. We must determine the most effective and beneficial methods to use. Once the analysis has been reviewed and communicated, it is up to management to determine the areas for improvement. Managers must utilize total quality management (TQM) as their driving force and apply it to corrections.
Correctional Environment Our facility, an imaginary barn, is our institution. It houses hundreds, even thousands of criminals. Some more dangerous than others. They have varying degrees of obedient and relentless characteristics. Some can be and have been reformed and others make one's stomach turn ill just by hearing of their crimes. Regardless of their reasons for being there, the Constitution states that we must provide them with a humane and lawful environment. That is a hard rock to swallow for a manager. Inmates and employees are going to have differences. It is up to managers to educate and provide the necessary resources for their staff to assist them in making informed decisions that reflect a goodwill effort in carrying out what is policy (Phillips & McConnell, 2005, p. 442). Communities take responsibility by assisting managers and the correctional employee's by cooperatively addressing ways to rehabilitate those inmates that are able to return to society. The Fourth Amendment protects the rights of inmates. Inmates are entitled to protection under the First and Eighth Amendments, however the courts have not been as active in protecting prisoners under the Fourth Amendment (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2004). Just because the amendments exist, doesn't mean inmates rights are not subject to certain boundaries. Inmates cells can be searched and property can be seized as needed and body searches still exist because courts have upheld the need for proper security needs above the needs of an inmate's privacy needs (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2004).
Plan of Action Reengineering and reduction in force can be difficult. It involves making changes and it means management has to make decisions that are often times hard to make. The most encouraging aspect is that managers must remain optimistic and hopeful. We must often reorganize things to make them more valuable or accessible. This process also applies to the movement of employees. Unfortunately, in the wake of a shortfall of funds and grants there comes the need to review and analyze the skills of the workforce. Not always is it the economy that can impact the workforce. Sometimes it can be the loss of a contract, a change in the type of offender, new contract requirements, and other factors can very quickly change the kind of staff a prison needs (Phillips & McConnell, 2005, p. 413). Budget cuts, however, seem to be the primary focus in this decade. In Monroe, Washington a corrections officer was strangled to death as she independently supervised the chapel at the Monroe Correctional Complex in January 2011 (KOMO Staff, 2011). It was believed reduction in workforce was the major factor in the incident. The officer had reported her concerns and discomfort to the Teamsters Local 117 on several occasions about guarding inmates alone. In this particular incident, even the union failed to act fast enough in addressing the concerns of the officer. Many of the reasons corrections officers are at risk in their jobs at the facilities are due to the economy and the reductions in officers. Whenever there are budget cuts implement, the salaries and the number of employees are reduced first. A plan of action to retain well qualified and trained employees must be a priority and sometimes that may require the assistance of local unions. But there are other options that can be implemented first to determine the needs and experience of the workforce. One of those options is to develop a methods of improvement approach. Managers should challenge everything to examine, eliminate, combine, improve, and change procedures whenever possible (Phillips & McConnell, 2005, p. 395). By implementing the necessary tools and techniques for methods improvement, areas within a work schedule can be evaluated on operation, transportation, inspection, delay, and storage to determine the path of operation. By assessing each workers skills and addressing areas of concern increases the performance and the retain ability of the worker whenever the threat of budget cuts develop.
Continuous Improvement No matter what, there is always room for improvement. A number of analytical tools and techniques are available to a person pursuing methods improvement (Phillips & McConnell, 2005, p. 397). While making improvements it becomes necessary to recognize employee potential and demonstrate a willingness to foster team building. It was mentioned earlier managers needed to have in place a specific plan of action for heading off reductions in the workforce. The same applies to continuous improvement of those already performing the jobs. By implementing methods improvement techniques, managers are able to focus in on three areas phases of interest: philosophy, education, and application (Phillips & McConnell, 2005, p. 404). By promoting continuous improvement it creates a foundation for accountability within the facility. Maintaining this program can be facilitated through various quality assurance and quality control techniques. Programs for continuous improvement need to be devised outlining the standards for everything from prevention programs on the front end, through probation, detention, residential commitment programs of all types and sizes, to aftercare on the back end (The Free Library, 2004). Continuous improvement can also stimulate the needs motivation and morale in both the workforce and the inmates.
Summary
Rather than turning our noses up at an old red barn and visualizing how it could be replaced, we should actually be looking for ways of improving what we have with the knowledge and resources we value. If managers fail to see value it is perceived by others an attitude or intention of not caring about the safety and well being of everyone in the facility. Obstacles must be realized and evaluated in their importance. However, the primary task is defeating reduction by any means necessary. Corrections has been one of the hardest hit areas when it comes to budget cuts and reduction in workforce. Mangers are faced with meeting those changes and determining how to adjust to those changes at any given moment. If managers view the facility of an old red barn with optimism, they can run it with the resources defined for improvement and sustainability.

References
Bureau of Statistics. (2004). Number of Facilities Covered under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. Retrieved September 2, 2012, from http://www.libraryindex.com/ /pages/2561/Prisoners-Rights-Under-Law-FOURTH-AMENDMENT.html

KOMO Staff. (2011). Female officer killed at Monroe corrections facility. Retrieved September 2, 2012, from http://www.komonews.com/news/local/114899129.html?

Phillips, R. L. and McConnell, C. R. (2005). The Effective Corrections Manager; Correctional Supervision for the Future. 2nd ed. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

The Free Library. (2004). Promoting continuous improvement and accountability in community corrections. Retrieved September 2, 2012, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ /Promoting+continuous+improvement+and+accountability+in+community...-a0126119014