Community supervision agencies share a goal of public safety, but how that goal is achieved often shifts between compliance driven approaches and behavior change strategies.
While many agencies are working to incorporate behavior change, daily practice is still shaped by structures that prioritize consistency, risk management, and enforcement. This creates a disconnect between what agencies aim to achieve and how work is carried out. Through a partnership between the National Institute of Corrections and Justice System Partners, three agencies are actively working to address this gap through implementation of the Coach (referee) Model for Change. A key lesson from this work is that training staff to coach is not enough. When organizational conditions remain unchanged, staff are often pulled back toward compliance driven practices.
This session highlights real time implementation, lessons learned, and what it takes to better align systems and practices with behavior change.
Real Talk from the Field: What We Thought vs. What Actually Happened.
Panelists from participating agencies will share candid reflections on their implementation experience, including:
- Assumptions they had entering the work
- Challenges and tensions encountered during implementation
- Adjustments made in response to those challenges
- Early indicators of change within their organizations
Faculty will guide the discussion using targeted prompts and invite participant questions.