The rewards and challenges of pursuing research in a correctional agency

Abstract

Research produced within the setting of an operating agency runs the risk of being subverted by the operational priorities and political practicalities facing the agency. Researchers and managers at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) have successfully balanced the tension between the objectivity required of scientific research and the daily operations of their agency for over two decades. The discussion is framed by the challenges of conducting evaluation research, such as the TRIAD (Treating Inmates Addicted to Drugs) evaluation of residential drug treatment in the BOP and developing performance measures to compare pubic and private prisons.

Notes

* The opinions expressed in this paper reflect the opinions and experiences of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the Federal Bureau of Prisons or the U.S. Department of Justice. This paper was not written as part of the official duties of the author. An earlier version of the paper was presented at the 2003 meeting of the Association of Criminal Justice Sciences in Boston.

Two pertinent issues related to compensation could not be addressed with the current data. First, the extent to which faculty salaries keep pace with the cost of living is not known. Government salaries do keep pace. While the top pay for a GS‐15 was $111,581 in 2001, by 2004 the top pay increased by about 10.8% to $123,682 (not counting an additional 2% of 2003 salaries legislated but not enacted at the time of this paper). Also, the government adjusts pay according to locality. For example, a top‐paid GS‐15 in the Washington, DC area made $127,434 in 2004. The second issue not addressed is a comparison of benefits. Federal benefits average about 40% of base pay, but comparable data for faculty salaries were not found. While the federal government does not use TIAA/CREF (the choice of many universities), the FERS retirement funds, in which employees can contribute up to the 401K limit, is portable, and the government matches up to 5% of yearly salary.

A more complete list of research reports produced and published by BOP researchers can be found at the BOP website (http://www.bop.gov). Clicking on the “Links” button and then “Corrections Research” brings up the page describing the Office of Research and Evaluation.