Consistency in Organization and the Impact on the Well-being of Young Offenders in Correctional Facilities.

Abstract

The key to an effective correctional treatment is the organization’s quality. The quality of organization includes the consistency of a correctional system at managing security and delivering personal safety in correctional settings. This study seeks to explain levels of organizational consistency in juvenile correctional facilities. It further investigates how this dimension has an influence on the well-being of young offenders. The study comprised a survey completed by 289 male and female young offenders, aged 12 to 21 years old, in eight correctional facilities in Malaysia. The Measuring Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) was used to measure organizational consistency and the well-being of offenders. The findings demonstrate that majority of young offenders reported moderate levels of organizational consistency. Slightly more than half participants agree that the facilities are well-organised and well-controlled. Furthermore, the organizational consistency has significant influence on the well-being of young offenders in the correctional facilities. This study suggests that staff members play an important role in maintaining the quality of organization and thus creating a healthy correctional environment. This study has an impact on policy implementation in improving the well-being of young offenders in correctional facilities.