Jail Leadership Style Analysis

Leadership has proven to be an important factor contributing to the success or failure of any organization. Although there are several different leadership styles, some will prove to be instrumental in the success or failure in a corrections environment. Different leadership practices displayed by the jail administration can affect the jail environment and operations in a negative or positive aspect, and can equate to the difference between a safe, secure environment for the inmates, staff, and visitors. Looking at different leadership styles we can access the probability of the jail environment having a successful impact on the community, or becoming an environment filled with disruption, violence, vandalism, and lack of sanitation.

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We know this leader fails at direct supervision of employees and does not provide direct regular feedback to those under his command. If this leader is in command of strong, highly experienced employees who are self- motivated, then there is little to no work for the leader. This leadership style produces no supervision or guidance, and leads to poor prod uction, poor time management and lack of control. In the jail environment this leadership style could prove to be deadly, or very costly to the staff, inmates and visitors. Several practices and procedures govern the success of the jail security and safety. In the absence of good leadership practices, policies are broken and overlooked, communication is isolated, and bad behavior often goes unpu nished. From the safety aspect, this type of activity can quickly become dangerous. The primary responsibility of jail security is to prevent escapes, institutional violence, and to maintain order. With minimal leadership, important security measu res such as inmate movement and transportation, searches for contraband, control of equipment and supplies, and inmate well-being can be compromised or not performed at all. The likely hood of improper use of force by staff is also elevated. This not only creates officer safety concerns but exposes the organization to potential liability.

Next we will examine the transformational leadership style. This leader is one who

These managers set predetermined goals with employees. The employees agree to follow the leadership and directions of the managers to accomplish these goals. This manager reviews employee results and then provides training or correction when employees fail to meet the goals. Employees receive praise, recognition, or bonuses when the goals are met. An example would be the booking Sergeant, who trains the detention deputies to ensure all necessary paperwork is present and correct before an inmate is accepted into the facility, and that all the paperwork is prepared on time for first appearance. When these tasks are completed effectively, the detention deputies received praise for a job well done. When these tasks are not