Time Frame: Next 36 Months
START categories: Staff & Technology & Accountability
This post will continue to be focused on non violent offenders for purposes of discussing a BOP Transformation Plan. For the next 5 years, I’d suggest the BOP leave its medium and high security operations under “ordinary course of business” while focusing on the 60% of the population that is non violent or low risk of security and recidivism.
Per my two most recent posts to date, we’ve addressed the near term under staffing issues/cost reduction plan in Year 1 and the need for an immediate marcom/communication plan. It would be my expectation the BOP is implementing both these during the first 12 months of the START Transformation Plan, with continued fine tuning and improvements going forward the next several years until some of the mid term solutions can take effect. Plus with the new Ombudsman and Board of Directors overseeing the BOP recently established by Congress, BOP will also forced to address a lot of its priority operational issues that come to these new folks attention.
The third topic I’d encourage the BOP to focus on, which needs to begin during the next 12 months is beginning to redefine its Leadership Team and organization chart consistent with the needs of the START Transformation Plan. I put this upfront as its at the forefront of the “S” in START or staffing and HR needs. One of the fundamental issues for the BOP to overcome is its decentralized nature, ceding seemingly unlimited authority and control to Wardens and their local staff over almost every topic. While I’m personally a big believer in decentralization where beneficial, that model, without the technology to enable consistency with policy implementation and accountability, can and has lead to the types of issues and reputational damage the BOP has experienced these past 10 years. It is not cost efficient for certain departmental areas and activities without automation and accountability as well(think Education and a class with 1 teacher @ each of 115 locations for one topic vs. 1 teacher/topic online for all locations). Lastly, its just not practical to decentralize programming and education and mentoring to a historically guard centric/security focused employee base where there is limited expertise let alone buy in by the local staff.
Keeping technology in mind, The BOP needs to form an org structure with categories of expertise to offer standardized solutions and policies and procedures supporting them for each location, combined with monitoring of compliance for accountability as well. While some of these functions may exist already, none have any built in automation or compliance monitoring that I’ve been able to see as an inmate:
* Chief Medical Officer
* Director of Education & Online Learning
* Director of Vocational Training/Partnerships
* Director of HR for BOP Staff
* Director of Nutrition
* Director of Technology
* Lead Ombudsman
Establishing these roles and responsibilities properly is HUGE for the START Transformation Plan to get legs. This goes way beyond typical job descriptions, it needs to include the definition of program or services, how they will be most effectively and cost effectively delivered, reporting requirements by locations as to their results and compliance with the direction provided, definition of key metrics at the local, regional and national level.
Getting these right people in place, and doing the work in preparation for a coordinated rollout with the locations will easily be a 12 month commitment. Once started, then a 24 month plan to evolve and implement a complete rollout of these programs and services and vendors for conformity as well. More on that as we get into 3-5 year timeframe solutions.
I also recommend a Lead Ombudsman providing policy and process oversight( locations following the rules) for all locations, to accommodate questions and complaints from families and inmates, and coordinate resolution of issues with local Ombudsman. Thus each location should designate a staff member to be the Ombudsman for that location, again accountable with issues raised, resolution, and other observations to the Lead Ombudsman. This will also assist accountability of local operations, in the real world we call this Internal Audit function.
Ultimately establishing a complete leadership team with the skills to guide and monitor their area of excellence in each location will yield tremendous results in 2-3 years, but it starts with the team, which is why its my #3 short term priority for the BOP.
