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62 Prison J. 1 (1982)

handle is hein.journals/prsjrnl62 and id is 1 raw text is: Editorial This may very well be the most significant issue of The Prison Journal since I became editor just ten years ago. Indeed it will probably rank among the best in The journal's 137 years of continuous publi- cation. The problem of how to manage correctional, costs is one that is discussed in seminars, but seldom in print. The simple lack of any central administrative source to control costs, as the authors point out, makes effective management nearly impossible, and leads to the chaos we know as the correctional system. Any attempt to put structure and order into the process seems so unlikely to succeed that few have tried. Very quickly, let us assure you that this paper offers no simple panacea, but it does suggest directions toward positive answers. The authors point out how good management must weigh cost vs. benefits even with the inexactness of predicting human behavior. And finally, they suggest that governors and legislators might well use such management techniques in their stewardship of public funds rather than making their decisions purely on the basis of political expediency. In addition to the central topic of management, the paper is helpful in reminding us of the sloppy ways in which correctional costs are usually computed. Most obviously, capital costs are seldom quoted, but also ancillary services are often omitted because they are paid out of a different pocket. We are especially indebted to the authors for the balanced and comprehensive approach they make to the subject. The 183 footnotes provide references and sources for most of the significant studies in this field in recent years, and in themselves serve as a handbook on who said what and when. It seems to me that this should therefore be must reading for everyone who has a hand in correctional decision making - governors, legislators, the judiciary, and practitioners. It is equally important for those of us who are concerned about corrections and public policy. It may, at times, seem a bit difficult to grasp for those who are not immediately knowledgeable about correctional processes or who have little background in management and accounting practices, but the effort to perservere will be rewarding. Meanwhile, the authors have provided several delightful stories and analogies to keep our interest. The best is probably the comparison of a prison to a cruise ship, owned by a company for the recreation of its employees, and facing problems as the company grows and the pressure for use exceeds the capacity. One is tempted to extend the analogy to uggest him the bookings on the ship are not controlled by any central source, but rather by all first-level supervisors who compete with one another in sending more of their employees for longei trips until eventually the ship slowly sinks into oblivion. 1

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