California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: A Systems Analysis Using the Burke- Litwin Model of Organizational Change and Performance.

Inmates and Parolees, Overcrowding, and Vision In the year 2010, there were 287,444 persons under the authority of the California Department of Corrections. This number includes 107,667 felons on parole, 162,821 in institutions, 13,491 who had absconded from parole or some other supervision, and 217 on escape status. In 2010, the design bed capacity of the California Department of Corrections was 83,981. The population was 174.7% of the design capacity” (

The overarching vision of the California Department of Corrections is “to end the causes and tragic effects of crime, violence, and victimization in our communities through a collaborative effort that provides intervention to at-risk populations and quality services from the time of arrest that will assist our clients in achieving successful reintegration into society” (

The Burke-Litwin model of organizational change and performance looks at the external environment being the most powerful motivator for organizational change. In the context of the California Department of Corrections, the external motivators would include the public’s perception of how well the CDC is fulfilling its mission. The CDC states its mission is “to improve public safety through evidence based crime prevention and recidivism reduction strategies” ( Looking at recent history concerning recidivism, the CDC hasn’t fulfilled its mission. According to one article, “The numbers speak for themselves. In 1980, only 21 percent of those entering prison in California were parole violators… By 2000, 69% of people sent to prison were parolees being recalled to prison” (Maruna, 2004). With the rate of parolees re-entering prison almost threefold in the span of 20 years, it seems as if the evidence based recidivism reduction strategies are not working.

One of the influences of change the Burke-Litwin model emphasizes is the work unit climate. The Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrated how an environment of abuse spreads throughout an organization. Another example of how work unit climate can spread is the Corcoran State Prison “gladiator fights.” In The Independent, Cornwell (1996) reports, “Violent inmates at California’s top maximum-security jail were paired off in staged fights as watching prison guards bet on the outcomes.” As an indication of the organizational culture of the California prison system, these “gladiator fights” are an example of why changes need to be made from the leadership down.

Alternative sentencing laws such as Prop 36 and PC 100 DEJ gives employees the knowledge that they are involved in a system that helps some people move forward with their lives and break the cycles of addiction, abuse, and poverty that many of them face, raising morale and the working culture of the organization. The transactional changes that these two sentencing alternatives allow are apparent. It is much less expensive to provide treatment for addiction than it is to incarcerate someone for any length of time. Prisons in California are also running at roughly 175% of capacity, which takes away bed space from inmates who need to be segregated from general populations because of safety concerns. Saving millions of dollars yearly by providing sentencing alternatives to non-violent offenders has transactional changes such as updating facilities, providing better programming for inmates, better employee compensation, training, and problems of low staffing.

The high rate of incarceration, and subsequent recidivism of non- violent drug offenders shows flaws in a system that purports itself to use “evidence based crime prevention and recidivism reduction strategies” (cdcr.ca.gov). The Burke Litwin model for Organizational Change would be a useful tool for the CDCR to implement. Looking at the external forces that are influencing the organization, in this case crime and public perception, would help identify major changes needed. Looking at workplace culture, leadership, and motivation of employees would help create an environment where things like betting on fighting inmates and other abuses would not be tolerated. Overhauling the mandatory sentencing guidelines, strict standards for parole, and allowing more professional discretion would allow employees of the organization to carry out the mission, goals, and strategies more effectively.