It is no secret that new employees often have difficulty adjusting to the complex work and multifaceted environment of a correctional institution. Still, new workers represent the future leadership of an organization and, while not every employee is born to be a leader, with proper guidance and training, staff members can be inspired to reach their fullest potential. 

Of course, some administrations still believe the best preparation is good old fashioned 'on the job training,' but at the Federal Correctional Institution at Three Rivers in Texas officials have taken a more direct approach to ensure each new employee is working at his or her personal best. Through mentoring relationships they develop job skills and communication skills that simply allow them to perform their job to a more exceptional level, officials say.

FCI Three Rivers Mentoring Program

Started in July 1992, the Three Rivers staff mentoring program was designed to create a strong and dynamic mentoring initiative that assisted new staff during their probationary year, while at the same time empowering local staff within each facility to be innovative in the design and implementation of their program. 

Today the program is a national model for excellence in corrections and according to Federal Bureau of Prisons Spokesperson, Scott Wolfson the program is currently in place in their 94 correctional facilities, six regional offices, training centers, community corrections office and the central office.

'The purpose was to develop a program to foster employee development, career enhancement and equal opportunity through a formal mentoring program, ' explains Wolfson. 

The Pilot Program began October 1, 1992, when new staff members were assigned a mentor within 30 days of their return from the training center. Initially five staff members were selected through a training opportunity announcement for the collateral duty position of coach. Four more staff members were subsequently selected through the same process.

In Operation

During a 2-week introductory course in the Bureau of Prisons, the employee development specialist explains the program to participants. The mentors introduce themselves and give a brief history of their own career with the Bureau of Prisons. 

'Of course staff members can have friends within the institutions,' explains Wolfson, 'but the mentor can be relied upon to address questions that they may not be comfortable asking their supervisor.'

New employees who are accepted into the program as 'proteges' meet with a coach or mentor when they need to. For some, this may be more than once a month. For others, it may be less. The protege determines the need for consultation. But no matter how involved the protégé wants to be, all mentors take an active role by talking with new staff as often as possible. This usually occurs while standing in the key line, in the staff lounge during lunch, during institution mail distribution and through brief telephone calls.

The program is much more than making new friends. It pairs employees who have completed at least one year of service in the bureau with a more experienced staff member. 

'It's a specialized program that allows for a more personalized relationship between an experienced employee and a new employee,' said Wolfson who emphasized that the program 'is not a staff training program.'

It is also open to any new staff member, not just field officers. According to Wolfson, 'the concept is that anyone may end up in the field someday.'

The Cast

What seems to make the program a success is the people behind it. When asked what kind of manpower is needed to 'pull off' a national mentoring program, Wolfson describes a well-organized staff contingent. 

First, the Executive Assistant to the Warden is responsible for the overall program.

Then a System Wide Program Coordinator has the ability to train department coordinators and be a resource in the field.

Regional and Institutional Officer Coordinators in each institution and/or office report to the System Wide Coordinator and are responsible for training mentors in their institution or region.

Employee Development Managers are responsible for monitoring and general coordination of their mentoring program, training and staff issues. 

Finally there are the Mentors themselves and of course the Protégés.

The Selection Process

To ensure that the most qualified staff are selected as mentors, this collateral duty position must be considered very desirable and marketed well. According to Wolfson, participation in the program for both the mentors and the proteges is based on the merit process. If there are more protégés than mentors, then there is a ranking or rating process where those that show outstanding progress will be first on the list. 

In addition, staff members who want to become mentors must meet the following criteria:

1. be managers or supervisors at GS (General Schedule) Level 9 or above
2. demonstrate a willingness to participate 
3. demonstrate knowledge of the organization 
4. possess good coaching skills 
5. be an effective communicator 
6. be a positive role model, and 
7. demonstrate a commitment for cultural diversity

Training

The mentors receive specialized training in counseling skills, interpersonal communications, probationary concerns and the institution's range of services.

Mentors receive up to four hours of training by either an employee development manager or administrator in the regional offices or an employee development manager inside the prisons. They learn how to build relationships, which forums they should meet with proteges and what issues to tackle. Most importantly they learn the crucial role a mentor can play and the challenge of being a friend while still maintaining respect and authority.

By contrast, program coordinators receive up to 16 hours of training by the Bureau's National Mentoring Program Coordinator. They learn how to manage the program in their location.

Matching

When it comes to matching, the key, BOP officials say, is to match mentors with proteges that have different professional and ethnic backgrounds in order to foster diversity and cultural understanding.

In addition, a mentor can only have five proteges. 'We want to keep it as personal as possible,' explains Wolfson, who also notes that 'participation in the mentoring program does not automatically lead to promotions or special awards.'

Once the match has been made, the program coordinator sets up an orientation meeting to make the initial introduction between mentor and protege. Then within 30 days there is a private, yet official, meeting between the protégé and the mentor. From then on it is between the protégé and the mentor to simply agree to meet every month. '[The meetings] help the employee not only with own personal development, but to understand the peers they are working with and the diversity of the inmate population,' explains Wolfson.

Evaluation

Throughout the process, the employee development specialist contacts each mentor by the telephone or in-person to discuss problems or concerns new staff may have.

The mentors also submit a quarterly report detailing their activities for the previous quarter. These reports assist in determining the quality and quantity of the mentors' work. They also assist in assessing common problems and concerns within the facility.

'From the data that has been collected through social climate surveys and focus groups we have determined that most proteges have been highly satisfied with the program and feel that it was vital in helping them achieve their personal and professional goals,' says Wolfson.

Starting Your Own Mentoring Program

To help you get started with your own mentoring program, the following is a checklist of initiatives:

Step #1: Create a plan of action with reasonable deadlines and designate responsible staff to carry out the program's goals.

Step #2: Educating staff and advertise the program internally. You may want to announce it on bulletin boards, inside employee newsletters and paycheck envelopes.

Step #3: Select and announce institution coaches. 

Step #4: Establish a mentoring committee be established and convened. 

Step #5: You need to assign the coaches to their new employees. 

Step #6: Provide a written program assessment and follow-up training sessions for all coaches.