Tempered Radicals: Considering Street-Level Community Corrections Officers and Supervisors' Divergence from Policies. (7th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kras, Kimberly R.; Magnuson, Shannon; Portillo, Shannon; Taxman, Faye S.
• Is Part Of: Justice quarterly. Volume 38:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 701
• Page End: 724
• Publication Date: 2021-06-07
• Subjects: Focal concerns -- tempered radicals -- policy divergence -- community corrections -- qualitative research; Criminal justice, Administration of -- Periodicals; Criminal justice, Administration of -- United States -- Periodicals; 340.11405
• DOI: 10.1080/07418825.2019.1639789
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0741-8825

Abstract

Abstract: Every day, community corrections staff make complex decisions in an uncertain environment, affecting their workload, supervisees, and public safety. These micro-level decisions have the cumulative potential to influence the overarching goals of the organization as well as probationers themselves. While focal concerns theory is a well-developed explanation of decision-making in courts and policing, within the community corrections context, scholars have only applied the framework to specific reforms or decisions. Using ethnographic data from a community corrections agency and a grounded theory approach we extend the focal concerns perspective, and uncover how and why frontline supervisors and officers diverge from an array of policies. A spectrum of policy divergence themes emerge suggesting collective action between staff and policies. Findings reveal emergent rationale for why staff make micro-level divergent decisions, and how the collective action of officers and frontline supervisors serves as tempered divergence, ultimately altering the implementation and fidelity of policy.