DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38456
title: Virginia Department of Corrections' Staff Survey, 2012-2014: Conducted Under the National Institute of Correction's Norval Morris Workforce Transformation Initiative
title: Archival Version

description: The study was established by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) in 2006 with the goals of 1) identifying innovative research-based approaches to address topics of vital concern to the corrections field, 2) evaluating the potential impact of those approaches on corrections practice and policy, and 3) developing strategies for effective dissemination and application of the knowledge gleaned from testing these innovations in real-world corrections settings. Creating a healing environment in corrections, which draws from the theory and research on transformational leadership, organizational culture, and workforce development, represents one such innovative strategy selected by the Norval Morris Project to develop, implement, and test. In 2011, the NIC and the Virginia Department of Corrections (VA-DOC) launched a joint workforce transformation initiative to implement operational practices (e.g., leadership development and coaching, dialogue circles, training on evidence-based practices, etc.) that would create a "healing environment" throughout the VA-DOC. The Healing Environment Initiative (HEI) is designed to foster positive change and growth for both employees and justice-involved people, and ultimately promote safer communities. From 2011-2015, researchers at the Urban Institute (Urban) measured and assessed the influence of the HEI on VA-DOC operations using two main data sources: three waves of a self-administered department-wide online staff survey conducted in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and selected performance indicators. The VA-DOC staff survey measured (1) staff perceptions of what it is like to work for the VA-DOC; (2) workforce knowledge of, involvement in, and support for the HEI; and (3) staff attitudes toward reentry and people incarcerated or under supervision by the VA-DOC. On average, approximately 4,400 staff responded to the survey at each administration. Response rates ranged from 44 percent at Wave 1 to 38 percent at Waves 2 and 3.
description: The purpose of this study is identifying innovative research-based approaches to address topics of vital concern to the corrections field; evaluating the potential impact of those approaches on corrections practice and policy; developing strategies for effective dissemination and application of the knowledge gleaned from testing these innovations in real-world corrections settings.
description: Response Rates: Response rates ranged from 44 percent at Wave 1, and approximately 38 percent at both Waves 2 and 3. Wave 1 of the VA-DOC survey targeted the department's 11,136 full time employees; approximately 10,685 individuals received the email invitation of which 4,724 elected to participate resulting in a 44.2 percent response rate. Wave 2 also targeted the VA-DOC's full time staff, approximately 11,583 individuals, of which 11,025 employees received the email invitation and 4,248 responded to the survey resulting in a 38.5 percent response rate. Wave 3 targeted the VA-DOC's 12,034 full time staff, of which 11,411 received the email invite and 4,402 responded to the survey, resulting in a 38.6 percent response rate.
description: Every full-time VA-DOC employee, approximately 15,113 unique individuals between 2012 and 2015, was invited to participate in the survey (part-time employees, of whom there were less than 300, were excluded by the department). Prior to each data collection wave, the VA-DOC's Director of Human Resources provided Urban Institute researchers with a roster of all current VA-DOC staff; the roster included staff names, VA-DOC email address, work unit type, work location, and region. At each wave, new cases were assigned a unique survey ID and password to access the survey.
description: Datasets: DS1: Virginia Department of Corrections' Staff Survey, 2012-2014: Conducted Under the National Institute of Correction's Norval Morris Workforce Transformation Initiative
description: Full-time Virginia Department of Corrections employees.
description: web-based surveyTo protect respondent confidentiality, files have been redacted and survey IDs removed and replaced with an alphanumeric ID known only to the researchers. Dates, region variable, and work unit level variables have been recoded and collapsed to minimize the potential for reidentification. Responses to the survey's single open-ended item have not submitted with these data to protect respondents.