Unit Management in Correctional Facilities

Why do we research unit management in correctional facilities? The research was necessitated by a fundamental need to change the way in which South Africa deals with sentenced inmates. The country boasts one of the highest international recidivism rates. Instead of being a revolving door where shorter-term offenders circulate through the correctional system, or a warehouse where serious offenders are subjected to monotonous empty hours for a lifetime, all correctional systems should actively and meaningfully address recidivism. This means that correctional interventions must contribute to inmate empowerment, resulting in a life without crime. Unit management proves to be a management tool that can facilitate such meaningful contribution. It has been implemented in some international correctional systems but limited international research, mainly from the USA, is available. With their research, the authors uniquely integrate correctional management fundamentals, law, organisational theory, and institutional administrative procedures into one research project. The research aims to lay a foundation for unit management implementation by addressing philosophy, international norms, processes, design, legal principles, risk management, human resources and correctional case studies. These contents deliver evidence of original research that stretches over more than a decade. Unit Management in Correctional Facilities: Law and Administration challenges executive management and the modern-day correctional practitioner on the professional front in terms of accountability, implementation of evidence based correctional best practices and transformation of the correctional system to the ultimate benefit of the offender and the broad society. It aims to equip correctional practitioners, students, lecturers and other academics.