The post below is from Carl Toersbjins' blog. Carl is a former Deputy Warden for the State of Arizona's Department of Corrections. He worked at ASPC-Eyman, the state's Supermax facility, until he retired in 2010. He was also employed for many years by the New Mexico Department of Corrections. Read his blogs at Associated Content and The Arizona Republic for more on mental illness and Arizona's state prisons.The editorial inferred by the accompanying artwork is mine, not Carl's.
Prisoner Names Project
Phoenix New Times Office
(November 12, 2010)
SOS DOJ: Suicide in AZ State Prisons
(Dodge Theater, Phoenix. Halloween, 2010.)
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The Perils of Mission Creep
Open Letter to Arizona Department of Corrections' Director Charles L. Ryan
By Carl ToersBijns
It well understood by every lawmaker, every politician and every agency leader in government that the creation of a mission statement should be more than a wall decoration in the office wall. It must reflect a "best practice" and reflect successful planning and goal setting by an agency or organization. Creating a good mission statement is meant to keep you on track and focus on your direction. There are times when the direction you have taken will take you away from your mission statement and into an abyss. This is commonly referred to as mission creep where you "creep" into areas you didn't plan on departing from or explore.
The Arizona Department of Corrections has set guiding principles within its on strategic plan and mission statement. Some of these principles are to provide a level of comfort for those government branches that interact with the agency daily by statute. Others are designed by federal law or agreements initiated to provide logistic or political support. The phrase of "safe and secure" is always part of a mission statement within prisons but rarely taken to the value it was designed to create.
The agency has a legal and operational responsibility to be accountable and responsive to its employees; to inmates and most definitely, its citizens. Their actions must show a high priority on quality of services and trust illustrating their effectiveness to manage such a large agency. Their work should be transparent, done with integrity and willing to change when mission statements and objectives or goals are not met within their time of expectation.
The agency has failed to maintain an environment that is humane and equitable to both employees and inmates. It has failed to address the number of assaults that occur daily within our prisons leaving staff and inmates injured, sometimes seriously and every now and then maimed forever. Today they have not solved the public's needs or expectations of a safe and secure prison environment. The leadership has not demonstrated a passion for action and has not demonstrated proactive skills that could in fact reduce the violence within the prisons. These administrators lack the aspiration to do a job and do it well but are not inclined to perform any better unless encouraged by the leadership of the agency. These leaders who are in charge of staff safety and inmate control have relinquished their authority to those unqualified to lead and accept lesser trade offs in their performance to get paid for eight and out the gate every day. Leadership was designed to energize the work force and inspire excellence by role modeling and doing the job with open communication and good ideas. This is most lacking in many administrators today.
Visiting the agency's website, their strategic plan will reveal an extreme high number or escapes last year at 5 reported. Perhaps it is time for the Director, Charles L. Ryan to review who is at the helm of these institutions where the staff assaults are creeping up beyond limits of reason and acceptance. Perhaps now is the time his energy is directed into the treatment of fairness for all who sweat and toil within the settings of these prisons and receive no gratitude for doing so. Looking at the statistics for 2009 there were an average of 29 staff assaults per month and 52 inmates on inmate assaults reported. Gleaning the same statistics for 2010 the data reveals there the average of 28.5 staff assaults per month and 62 inmates on inmate assaults reported. It is almost certain that he will claim the add inmate population has contributed to these numbers, however, the average reflects no effort to curb the violence.
It would behoove the Director to sit down with his core of leadership [or change his leadership] and review the mission statements for an anticipated change in actions and decision making. Perhaps, he should remind every one of them what the mission statement is and "stick it" into their heads so they won't forget who they work for [the citizens of Arizona] and who they are accountable to for their dealings and decision making.One can see by the charts attached the gradual process of maintaining control over the environment has changed over time and resulted in undesirable consequences that labor on staff injuries, resignations, frustrations and low morale. Another aspect of this erosion to the mission statement is the high inmate assaults on both staff and other inmates, suicides and homicides that occur within the prisons within a culture that has developed a tolerance to death or violence.
The Director needs to infuse new energy into the agency and its leadership. He must deliberately discuss the agency's shortcomings and avoid getting distracted on other issues that created confusion and dissension among staff. He has betrayed his own mission statement and his own policies in the manner business are conducted today inside his agency. His focus has changed and he is losing a grip on those very things that he promised to address when he came on board back in 2009.
Source:
www.azcorrections.gov
SOS DOJ: CRIPA AZ State Prisons
(Dodge Theater, Phoenix. Halloween, 2010.)
Open Letter to Arizona Department of Corrections' Director Charles L. Ryan
By Carl ToersBijns
It well understood by every lawmaker, every politician and every agency leader in government that the creation of a mission statement should be more than a wall decoration in the office wall. It must reflect a "best practice" and reflect successful planning and goal setting by an agency or organization. Creating a good mission statement is meant to keep you on track and focus on your direction. There are times when the direction you have taken will take you away from your mission statement and into an abyss. This is commonly referred to as mission creep where you "creep" into areas you didn't plan on departing from or explore.
The Arizona Department of Corrections has set guiding principles within its on strategic plan and mission statement. Some of these principles are to provide a level of comfort for those government branches that interact with the agency daily by statute. Others are designed by federal law or agreements initiated to provide logistic or political support. The phrase of "safe and secure" is always part of a mission statement within prisons but rarely taken to the value it was designed to create.
The agency has a legal and operational responsibility to be accountable and responsive to its employees; to inmates and most definitely, its citizens. Their actions must show a high priority on quality of services and trust illustrating their effectiveness to manage such a large agency. Their work should be transparent, done with integrity and willing to change when mission statements and objectives or goals are not met within their time of expectation.
The agency has failed to maintain an environment that is humane and equitable to both employees and inmates. It has failed to address the number of assaults that occur daily within our prisons leaving staff and inmates injured, sometimes seriously and every now and then maimed forever. Today they have not solved the public's needs or expectations of a safe and secure prison environment. The leadership has not demonstrated a passion for action and has not demonstrated proactive skills that could in fact reduce the violence within the prisons. These administrators lack the aspiration to do a job and do it well but are not inclined to perform any better unless encouraged by the leadership of the agency. These leaders who are in charge of staff safety and inmate control have relinquished their authority to those unqualified to lead and accept lesser trade offs in their performance to get paid for eight and out the gate every day. Leadership was designed to energize the work force and inspire excellence by role modeling and doing the job with open communication and good ideas. This is most lacking in many administrators today.
Visiting the agency's website, their strategic plan will reveal an extreme high number or escapes last year at 5 reported. Perhaps it is time for the Director, Charles L. Ryan to review who is at the helm of these institutions where the staff assaults are creeping up beyond limits of reason and acceptance. Perhaps now is the time his energy is directed into the treatment of fairness for all who sweat and toil within the settings of these prisons and receive no gratitude for doing so. Looking at the statistics for 2009 there were an average of 29 staff assaults per month and 52 inmates on inmate assaults reported. Gleaning the same statistics for 2010 the data reveals there the average of 28.5 staff assaults per month and 62 inmates on inmate assaults reported. It is almost certain that he will claim the add inmate population has contributed to these numbers, however, the average reflects no effort to curb the violence.
It would behoove the Director to sit down with his core of leadership [or change his leadership] and review the mission statements for an anticipated change in actions and decision making. Perhaps, he should remind every one of them what the mission statement is and "stick it" into their heads so they won't forget who they work for [the citizens of Arizona] and who they are accountable to for their dealings and decision making.One can see by the charts attached the gradual process of maintaining control over the environment has changed over time and resulted in undesirable consequences that labor on staff injuries, resignations, frustrations and low morale. Another aspect of this erosion to the mission statement is the high inmate assaults on both staff and other inmates, suicides and homicides that occur within the prisons within a culture that has developed a tolerance to death or violence.
The Director needs to infuse new energy into the agency and its leadership. He must deliberately discuss the agency's shortcomings and avoid getting distracted on other issues that created confusion and dissension among staff. He has betrayed his own mission statement and his own policies in the manner business are conducted today inside his agency. His focus has changed and he is losing a grip on those very things that he promised to address when he came on board back in 2009.
Source:
www.azcorrections.gov
SOS DOJ: CRIPA AZ State Prisons(Dodge Theater, Phoenix. Halloween, 2010.)
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