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Department of Corrections and Peninsula College
When Cheryl Young attended the 1994 ISPI conference in San Francisco, she entered a raffle and won a free seat in an Information Mapping seminar. At the time, Cheryl could not have known that 10 years later, her implementation of Information Mapping at Peninsula College for the Washington State (WA) Department Of Corrections (DOC) would result in a classic Mapping success story, improving the way her organization operates and winning kudos from top management.
The Department of Corrections and Peninsula College
The WA DOC operates 13 major prison facilities in five regions of the state, and employs 8,000 people, including 5,000 correctional officers.
The Performance Institute at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, WA is responsible for many of the DOC's training functions. Cheryl is the Program Director at the Institute.
Training That Could Not Keep Pace with Regulatory Changes
Training for correctional officers was a major concern for the DOC. While newly hired correctional officers received on-the-job training (OJT) that was primarily provided by their supervisors, there was no standard curriculum in place. Regulatory changes resulted in frequent changes to correctional officers' policies and procedures-changes that were rarely reflected in their training. Officers' errors resulted in inmate grievances and lengthy problem resolution processes. Administrative costs and frequent legal actions were draining DOC resources.
Mapping the Way Over the "Wall of Words"
Cheryl's team at the Performance Institute was tasked with finding ways to improve correctional officer training. Philip Young, who is also on staff at the Performance Institute and an avid Mapper, calls the dense, legalese-laden complexity of the regulatory language in their source material a "wall of words."
When Cheryl returned from the Information Mapping seminar and began applying her new skills to translate the regulations into clear, understandable policies and procedures, the rest of the Performance Team realized that they'd finally found a way over the "wall of words."
From "Seat of the Pants" Training to a Degree Program
The Performance Team's enthusiasm for Mapping won the support of DOC management, and the entire Team received training in the method. They began using Information Mapping principles to develop an Academy for correctional officers that features a core curriculum based on job task analysis. They also created a coaching program that improves the effectiveness of OJT.
The Team's work would transform a haphazard "seat of the pants" training effort into a highly effective skills development program that enables correctional officers to earn a degree in criminal justice, on the job.
Cheryl is quick to credit Information Mapping as a major factor in the program's success. "Mapping has made an enormous difference, not just in shaping curriculum, but also with the information gathering for our design process."
Measurable Results and High Praise
Cheryl and the Performance Team have good reason to be proud of what they have accomplished with their Mapping skills. As of this writing, 80% of the DOC's correctional officers are being trained using Mapped materials. Supervisors report that these officers are performing at higher levels and making fewer errors. The officers are involved in fewer inmate grievances, and when problems do arise, they are resolved more quickly.
In praising the work of the Performance Team, one prison superintendent said, "They haven't just raised the bar, they've raised the entire platform." High praise, indeed.
DOC Plans for Instructor Certifications
To date, about 40 DOC staff members have been trained in Information Mapping seminars. Their success has led to plans for implementing Mapping on a larger scale. The Department is actively considering certification of a Performance Team instructor who will deliver Information Mapping training to hundreds of employees.
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