Abstract
Since 2011, the organisational and management process of the Italian Prison Administration has started to change. The Open section and Dynamic supervision measures introduced into the Italian penitentiary system, requires that all prison workers participate in the observation and treatment of the prisoners’ activities, carried out within a multidisciplinary perspective. This may imply a significant increase, in both the workload and possible sources of stress for prison workers and, therefore, hinder the organizational change. To enable the process of change, while monitoring the employees’ wellbeing, monthly multidisciplinary meetings have been planned, involving the ward staff of each prison. This study aims to both understand the impact of the organisational change on the employees of a prison in northern Italy and to explore the sustainability of the ward staff tool. Ten multidisciplinary meetings were analysed over a year, focusing on topics discussed within the group and relational positions assumed by the members. Content analysis has been performed through the T-LAB software, whereas the analysis of the interactive modalities has been carried out through the application of the Interaction Process Analysis grid. Results showed the group’s tendency to focus on the task, neglecting the relational dimension and moments of shared reflection related to the process. The study allows us to reflect on those aspects that may undermine the organisational and employee wellbeing and to assess the sustainability of a new organizational tool.
Highlights
In the last ten years, through Ministerial orders No.445330/November 2011, No.206745/May 2012, and No.36997/January 2013, Italy has gradually witnessed the organizational change of the national prison administration
The organisational change led the introduction of the measures Open Section and Dynamic Supervision, representing a shift from a quantitative to a qualitative concept of punishment and its execution [1]
The present study aimed to understand the impact of the organisational changes introduced by local prison administration and the sustainability of the ward staff tool for prison workers
Summary
In the last ten years, through Ministerial orders No.445330/November 2011, No.206745/May 2012, and No.36997/January 2013, Italy has gradually witnessed the organizational change of the national prison administration. Even though the 1975’ prison reform proposed a conceptual paradigm shift from a control-oriented organisational model to a re-education and reintegration one, daily practice has continued to highlight an anchoring to the concept of prison as a punitive measure for many years. The organisational change led the introduction of the measures Open Section (i.e., the possibility to serve a sentence with greater freedom of movement within the prison) and Dynamic Supervision (i.e., detention not merely as custodial, but as an opportunity for education of the person for social reintegration), representing a shift from a quantitative (e.g., number of years) to a qualitative concept of punishment and its execution [1]. Educators could be oriented towards a re-education and resocialization model, according to the approach they have been trained in, while prison officers could be more control- and security-oriented
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