The effectiveness and practices of criminal justice organizations are continually being challenged by society and the legal system. It is perceived that criminal justice organizations need to follow an optimistic approach toward organizational change and development.

For this assignment you have just been hired as a management consultant for a private prison corporation. The company owns two prisons; both have high rates of employee turnover and very bad reputations. One is a brand new facility, Kurz Manor. Your company built it from scratch and installed a modern management system. The problem is that most of the staff is new to corrections and the discipline in the facility is very loose. Recent escapes from Kurz Manor have resulted in a public outcry that the place should be closed.

The other prison, Longview, has been running as a traditional state prison using policies and procedures that have not been updated for many years. The staff uses a punishment model of control instituted by the warden Big Bob. Longview has very low morale and numerous prison incidents of violence and sexual assaults. Both of the prisons house medium to maximum-security prisoners.

For this assignment the state has given your company the management contract for the private prison corporation. They need changes to be made that will alter the situation in both facilities within the corporation. If significant improvements are not witnessed in two years, the state will probably decide to house their prisoners elsewhere.

To make certain that the decisions you’re taking are going to help the organization, you need to be sure that you have accurate information about the history of the organization and what strategies are going to help it. To do this, what kind of research would you plan? What kind of data would you need to put your plans into action? How would conducting the right kind of research help you implement your plans of action?