CoreCivic: Is It an Empowerment Organization?
Part One: Overview
CoreCivic is a private sector organization that has ties to the U.S. government by following strict regulations and partnering with the government to improve corrections facilities and promote better reentry rates for those returning to society. Based on its website, CoreCivic is able to sell products and generate revenue and it is an REIT (publicly-traded real estate investment trust), which indicates that it is a private sector organization rather than a public sector or nonprofit organization.
The theoretical approach that best explains CoreCivic’s management style is Management by Objectives (MBO). According to Netting and co-authors (2017), MBO is an approach in which clear goals and objectives are set by management and success is managed by achievement of objectives. Based on CoreCivic’s short-term and long-term goals, it seems to use the MBO approach. For instance, CoreCovic has the larger objective of bettering society and smaller, more direct objectives such as reducing recidivism rates through better reentry programs, improving family-prisoner relationships, and maintaining safe, secure prison facilities.
Additionally, CoreCivic’s success is measured by achieving goals, which is evidenced by reports such as the 2017 Reentry Report and the 2018 ESG Report. The Reentry Report recounts the progress made on programs and services that help improve reentry rates and reduce recidivism. Meanwhile the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Report tracks the environmental impact that CoreCivic has, as well as their progress towards “bettering society through our efforts to reduce recidivism and governing ourselves at high standards of ethics and transparency” (CoreCivic 2019). Based on this evidence, CoreCivic appears to be based on the MBO approach.
Empowerment organizations are developed to support client-participation in decision making, foster partnerships, develop policies that promote the bridging of diversity gaps for effective delivery of services, minimize power differentials, promote team-building among staff, increase psychological empowerment of workers, have ideologically-committed administrators, work to increase worker satisfaction, and work to increase their political power (Hardina 2005). Based on these qualities, CoreCivic falls short of being an empowerment organization.
Looking at their employment page, it appears that CoreCivic’s administrators do put a lot of resources towards fostering their employees’ empowerment, job satisfaction, and teamwork. They assure potential employees a secure future, health and wellness, and pay/life balance. Moreover, they provide ongoing career training and leadership development, as well as work to foster a sense of community among workers. While this does fulfill some empowerment characteristics, CoreCivic does not fulfill the other qualities that make an institution an empowerment organization.
For instance, CoreCivic specifically states that they do not lobby nor work to influence policies on their “What We Do” page, which means they do not work to empower their political clout. While CoreCivic does state that it works to overcome discrimination against prisoners and bridge diversity gaps, it does not appear that they engage their clients in developing practices and policies. Client and community involvement are incredibly important steps to help the ‘benefit-receivers’ empower and help themselves. It is a key component to social work. The fact that CoreCivic falls short of this indicates to it is not an empowerment organization.
Part Two: Engaging with Organizations
The website of CoreCivic impacted me through its claim to “better the public good” and “setting the record straight” through truth (CoreCivic 2019). As a potential employee and social worker, I am motivated to work towards the common good, so bettering the public good aligns with my own personal mission. Their claim to uphold social responsibility and publication of the ESG report, which documents progress towards the goal of reentry for former prisoners, is particularly inspiring. Based on their website format reentry, safety, families and community are all important values to this organization.
CoreCivic’s Facebook page boasts patriotism, proclaims their goal as “helping people” and promotes community by sharing accomplishments of both their inmates (e.g. student prisoners being inducted into Phi Theta Kappa honor society) and their employees (e.g. El Paso workers support the local child crisis center through a benefit walk). There seems to be a largely positive impact on anyone who views CoreCivic’s website and social media. For instance, current employees likely experience a boost in morale as they are recognized for their good deeds and could feel like they are part of something that truly has a positive impact on people going through the prison system.
As far as prospective clients go, because CoreCivic largely helps those currently in prison or who are transitioning out of it, it is difficult to know if, and how many, inmates can access CoreCivic’s online media. It is possible that its social media pages do not have any impact on potential clients. As for current clients, those transitioning back into society through the reentry program likely see the benefits the CoreCivic offers and may take pride in the accomplishments that CoreCivic shares about current prisoners who are working to better themselves despite being incarcerated.
A potential funder will likely see the benefits that this program offers to inmates and could be impacted by CoreCivic’s goal of helping people through Facebook posts and the website’s page on social responsibility. Based on their website’s stated goals and the evidence presented by their social media posts and the ESG Report, potential funders will see that CoreCivic is a worthwhile investment because the organization effectively works to fulfill its stated goals. Similarly, current funders will likely be motivated to continue providing financial support because they will see that CoreCivic is delivering on its stated objectives.
According to Netting and co-authors (2017), effective management of diversity will promote efficiency through tolerance, respect, value empathy, encouragement of collaboration, working towards synthesis, and creating synergy. The way the website presents the stakeholders indicates that CoreCivic embraces and promotes difference and diversity. For instance, their “human approach” to reentry is to treat residents as people, not inmates, which embodies respect and value of the person. CoreCivic also claims to be “a diversified government solutions company.” While the company does boast community and diversity, it is difficult to find any evidence that the workers engage with clients to determine what best practices could help better people in prison and people transitioning out of prison, which indicates a lack of collaboration, synthesis, and syngery.
When thinking about engagement, CoreCivic can rest assured that current and prospective employees and funders will likely be positively affected by their website and Facebook page. Their website is easy to navigate and their goal of helping people is represented on essentially every page. Meanwhile their Facebook posts show evidence that support their stated goals and make CoreCivic seem like a welcoming, supportive organization. One suggestion I would make is having an embedded section on their home page to show their latest Facebook posts (they do have this for Tweets) for viewers to peruse.
Unfortunately, their engagement when it comes to current and potential clients falls short, perhaps largely because their clients are people in prison or transitioning out of it. Reaching inmates likely requires face-to-face interactions for provision of information rather than internet-based dissemination. I would also suggest the promotion of “community talks” that allow workers and administrators to hear from current and former inmates on what is working and what could be improved. While the ESG report is a good start, more could be done to promote synergy and collaboration synthesis in CoreCivic.
References
CoreCivic. (2019). CoreCivic: Better the Public Good. Retrieved from http://www.corecivic.com/
CoreCivic. (2017). CoreCivic Reentry Report 2017. Retrieved from https://www.corecivic.com/hubfs/_resources/_factsheets/CoreCivic_ReentryReport_FINAL_3.8.18.pdf
CoreCivic. (2019). CoreCivic’s First-Ever ESG Report Shows More Progress Toward Unprecedented Reentry Goals. Retrieved from http://www.corecivic.com/news/corecivics-first-ever-esg-report-shows-more-progress-toward-unprecedented-reentry-goals
CoreCivic. (2019). CoreCivic Facebook home. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/CoreCivic/?__tn__=,d,P-R&eid=ARA44QCdhHLkhISs1XM4TX_J6dP_Q_MADW1-9Y-2W5P-bSB_hv57CqA-YPlY4kUNxPz95RVZV-FFeRcY
Hardina, D. (2005). Ten characteristics of empowerment-oriented social service organizations. Administration in Social Work, 29(3), 23–42.
Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMurtry, S. L., & Thomas, M. L. (2017). Social work macro practice (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson
