Answer to Question 1
A positive discipline program (also known as positive counseling) attempts to change employee behavior without invoking punishment. An example of positive discipline or counseling is when an employee has been nonproductive and non-punctual, has caused interpersonal problems with co-workers, and/or has other problems on the job. To this point, the employee has been in control of the situationon the offensive, one might saywhereas the supervisor and other co-workers have been on the defensivejeopardizi ng the morale and productivity of the workplace. The preferred approach is to try to salvage him because of the agency's investment in time, funds, and training. The supervisor first explains to the employee why it is important that he improve (for reasons related to productivity, morale, and so on) and the benefits he might realize from improvement (promotions, pay raises, bonuses). Also outlined are what can happen if he does not show adequate improvement (demotion, transfer, termination). Now the supervisor gives him a certain time period (say, 30, 60, or 90 days) in which to improve.
In this hypothetical example, the supervisor is now on the offensive, thereby putting the employee on the defensiveand in control of his destiny; if he fails to perform, the supervisor should give him a warning, and if the situation continues, he will be terminated. If he sues or files a grievance, the supervisor can prove that every effort was made to allow him to salvage his position. Thus, subordinates are afforded an incentive to improve their behavior while at the same time making the department less vulnerable to successful lawsuits.
Answer to Question 2
Advantages: the prominent free-market argument, such as that proffered by the Reason Foundation, which states that private prisons deliver significant cost savings and equal or higher levels of quality when compared to government-run correctional facilities; Reason found that private prisons outperformed, or were equal to, their government counterparts in 16 of 18 studies conducted since 1989.
Disadvantages: there is no guarantee that standards will be upheld; no one will maintain security if employees go on strike; the public will have regular access to the facility; there will be different inmate disciplinary procedures; the company will be able to refuse certain inmates or could go bankrupt; and the company can increase its fees to the state. One study found that the private prison contributed to a higher probability that inmates would be involved in overall misconduct than those in the BOP comparison prisons. The private prison also had the highest probability of drug misconduct. In sum, the performance of the private prison was generally less favorable than the performance of the BOP comparison prisons.
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