Reference no: EM133766367 , Length: word count:300

Question 1. You are the chief of classification for a large prison system that has had an objective classification system in place for almost twenty years. The high-security prisons in the system a re experiencing severe overcrowding. you have been asked by the director of corrections to review the situation and determine if you are "overclassifying" offenders--that is, assigning them to a higher security level than is warranted. Where do you begin? What questions do you want to have answered? How would you determine whether the classification system in use is performing as it should or unnecessarily contributing to the overcrowding problem? NOTE: This is a very real problem that surfaces when a classification system is researched, developed, and then not reviewed on a regular basis. When there is overcrowding in any specific security level it can be the result of several issues and given the litigious history of population density (overcrowding) it is an issue that requires an intelligent analysis and administrative response. Before budgets are ever submitted, population density plans are related to an overall long term housing plan since a bulk of the budget is based on a per inmate basis. Obviously, high security prisons are more costly per bed than any other level. Thus, you have a budgetary issue on your plate as well as a number of life/safety issues. If you have never worked in the field, you may have to do some additional reading elsewhere to get a feel for this question. This is why I am only having one question this week. If you select this question, please respond by clicking on "New Topic" and starting a new thread. Title your response with your name and the question number you are responding to. Do not repeat the question in your response.

Question 2. You are the chief of probation in a county that has more than 5,000 offenders on probation. You do not use any type of classification system. Everyone placed on probation begins under regular probation supervision and each probation officer can recommend a reduction in an offender's supervision level. Probation officers can also recommend assignment to an intensive probation supervision (IPS) program or an electronic monitoring house arrest program. Your probation caseload sizes have been increasing, but you cannot get the courts or county commissioners to support adding any new positions. What can you do to stretch your current resources in order to meet your growth needs? Please respond to this question and make sure that you include some references to the week's reading as appropriate. The first question above applies to classification instruments in a prison facility, but as with a prison, increasing levels of security in parole and probation also involve greater budget allocations and increased staffing allocation. If you select this question, please respond by clicking on "New Topic" and starting a new thread. Title your response with your name and the question number you are responding to. Do not repeat the question in your response.

Both of these questions are very specific and real examples of situations that administrators face. Please respond to the question you select in detail. I do not expect a short 2-3 paragraph response for this week. You can always respond to other students if you want to, but it is not required this week. Make sure that you do use proper grammar, sentence structure, and good spelling.