Education based incarceration: educate to change the organizational culture of corrections in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

2014-09-15In a time when the jail systems were guided by a philosophy that aims to punish criminal behavior through the methods of deterrence and incapacitation, traditional rehabilitative practices developed to change inmates thinking. This current style, whose primary objective is to reduce the rates of re-arrest and recidivism, has been generally successful in achieving these goals. Therefore, Sheriff Baca focused on short-term gains made by implementing the Education based Incarceration program at the Los Angeles County Jails. From this perspective, attention is given to decreasing an offender's behavioral problems and emotional crises, while at the same time improving levels of adjustment and coping skills. ❧ One of the key figures with significant influence over inmate behavior is the jailer, who is charged with supervising the inmate in order to maintain a safe and secure environment. However, the nature of the jailer's interactions with the inmate is shaped by the jailer's professional orientation, which can be based upon custody, punitive, or rehabilitative attitudes. The jailer’s perception and cultural attitude affects the type of role that the jailer assumes in the inmate's adjustment and adoption of rehabilitation services and pro-social behaviors. Unfortunately, this information is not adequately included in the jailer's training. ❧ This dissertation examines the current situation regarding inmate rehabilitation and provides a thorough review of the literature on explains the three elements of Recidivism Reduction, Comparative Current Practices, and Staff Development. A survey of employees from Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail provided data which was analyzed to evaluate the differences in perceptions between the supervisors and the non-supervisors regarding cultural constructs within the organization. This information is then synthesized into the format of guidelines and discussion points intended for use by custody division administrators as a reference source for enhancing rehabilitation through Education Based Incarceration training. These suggestions are made in an effort to promote a rehabilitation approach to maintaining the care, custody, and control of the inmates