In correctional institutions, staff behaves daily based on what they know is right and wrong to respond to the environment of the moment. These ethical choices are often grounded on informal principles created by the workers' overtime, hence establishing a culture of doing things in a specific way. The situation was not any different at Acacia Correctional Institute. The choices are not expressed in writing, and at times it becomes challenging to solve ethical issues and dilemmas as there is no written guide to handling the same. Therefore, correctional leadership has been a challenge, hence the urgent need to establish ethical policies and implement them. Ethics is the definition of what is right and wrong, while to be ethical is to exercise at work what is termed the correct behavior. Therefore, as the Administrator, I plan on creating an ethical policy that will, in turn, establish an ethical policy at Acacia Correctional Institute.
Developing an ethical culture demands rethinking and evaluating ethics, not as a belief problem but as a design problem. To create an ethical policy, it is crucial to involve every stakeholder in the facility to avoid interest conflicts. This includes the management, departmental heads, staff, subordinate staff, the counselor in charge of inmates. Every stakeholder will be affected differently by the policies established hence the need to consult with them. As Stohr and Walsh (2019) noted, developing an ethics code with workers' input will ensure they feel like they own it hence support the same. Moreover, we shall refer to our employment contracts as they contain some guidelines on employees’ expectations.
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We would also refer to the Codes of Ethics that the American Correctional Association (ACA) has adopted (ACA, 2020). ACA is a national organization for workers in correctional facilities. The ACA Code of Ethics is based on honesty, respect, commitment, and professionalism at work. It will be a useful guide since these qualities are the driving force of our team. To ensure a broad perspective, we shall also consult with the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA). This organization is an educative platform that facilitates international and inter-agency co-operation. They are also useful in actively promoting policies and principles for humane and efficient correctional policies and implementations. After consultations and discussions, the Human Resource Department will draft an ethical policy proposal. The management will then evaluate it, and departmental heads shall forward their recommendations and changes. It will later be consolidated by the board and put into action if there are no further recommendations or corrections.
Not only do correctional employees code of conduct and ethics outline the expectations for handling inmates, but it is also meant to encourage and promote professionalism between the facility workers and correctional departments. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the ethical policies established are effectively communicated to every staff member. To achieve this, there is a need to engage employees and raise sensitization of ethical decision making. We shall, therefore, outline policies in every employee contract. Moreover, creating awareness-raising programs and opportunities for discussions which will provide feedback from the staff. It will also be an essential tool to evaluate how best workers have comprehended the policies.
For instance, we shall be holding face-to-qualitative face training with discussions and debates regarding the policies' practical applications. The meetings and creating scenarios will assist the workers to explore ethical dilemmas during training are critical to offering a one on one experience. Therefore, we shall review events that often happen within the facility and create a set of fable sceneries based on the happenings. Workers will then be presented with the scenarios and requested to go through the codes of ethics to determine which policies are being broken in every scene and how to handle the same. After the discussions, the trainers can reveal to participants every scenario and the right way to manage the same according to the written policies hence bringing the training closer to home.
Introducing and instituting new policies can be a difficult task. In a workplace where ethical polices have never been formal, it is challenging to introduce them hence the need to inspect workers to ensure compliance (SHRM, 2020). Therefore, department heads can check up on their day to day activities and handle ethical issues while at work. They can then report to the management of how employees are managing changes. We will also organize speak-up measures like anonymous helplines, where the staff and every stakeholder can raise issues with confidence. They will feel comfortable raising their concerns without any fear of judgment or punishment. Ethical policies can also be integrated into the performance evaluation design to emphasize their significance to the correctional facility. It will encourage good conduct and close supervision and creating an environment where uncompromising integrity is the rule (SHRM, 2020). The performance evaluations will provide the number of suspected policy breaches, how they were handled, and whether they were reported through the speak-up arrangement. Such a report will also give the management detail on ethical areas that require more training and enforcement. It also shows that the facility has a procedure in place that is useful and effective in handling ethical issues.
To ensure that ethical policies are adopted and strictly adhered to, there is a need to hold time to time extensive training at the hiring stage and during the worker’s career ( Stohr & Walsh, 2019 ). Also, constant training will strengthen the need to act ethically. Also, offering positive changes at the facility will enhance employees' capacity to handle their job right. Some may fail to act ethically when they do not have sufficient resources like time or enough staff. Having enough resources will make it easier for employees to work ethically. The discipline of policy violators and rewarding ethically performing employees will motivate them to operate in a proper manner ( Stohr & Walsh, 2019 ). If the violation of the regulations is severe enough, then firing such a worker is crucial to be an example to others. It will reinforce a positive culture that supports ethical work at the facility.
Consequently, encouraging whistle-blowing among workers and in an anonymous way will help employees to be one another’s keeper. Despite having supervisors and departmental heads inspecting the workers, often unethical behavior in the workplace happen ( Stohr & Walsh, 2019 ). Therefore, correctional employees need to have a chance to report such actions without fear of being reprimanded. Besides, introducing a group of leaders who will run with the policies' mission as their own is vital. It takes a full understanding of how essential ethics are to the facility and the team. Creating middle-level management who owns the policies will ensure they manage their staff behavior at their levels.
Ethical policies in a correctional facility will, in turn, provide an opportunity to resolve crucial staff behavioral issues hence cultivating positive performance. This change can transform the correctional workplace to be a stimulating environment.
References
American Correctional Association (ACA) (2020). ACA Code of Ethics. http://www.aca.org/ACA_Prod_IMIS/ACA_Member/About_Us/Code_of_Ethics/ACA_Member/AboutUs/Code_of_Ethics.aspx?hkey=61577ed2-c0c3-4529-bc01-36a248f79eba
SHRM (2020). How to Develop and Implement a New Company Policy. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/how-to-guides/pages/howtodevelopandimplementanewcompanypolicy.aspx
Stohr, M. K., & Walsh, A. (2019). Corrections: From research to policy to practice. SAGE Publications, Incorporated. https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/78663_Chapter_4.pdf
Braswell, M. C., McCarthy, B. R., & McCarthy, B. J. (2017). Justice, crime, and ethics. Taylor & Francis. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=YCklDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=how+to+create+ethical+policy+in+correctional+institutions&ots=VS9X_iMa1l&sig=ozRphkA6Qig5TL7XtXpPJbqa-84
