Bureaucratic organizations assume that change is the exception and tradition is the rule, that what has always been done is inevitably the best way. In such an environment, evaluation is an indispensable tool. It not only informs us about what we have done, but it provides an incentive for doing it better. As part of the world of government, community corrections will never completely escape the exigencies of political necessity. Bureaucratic organizations have transformed such contingencies into ends in themselves, establishing one process or program after another with little concern for their effectiveness or integration with the mission of the agency.
Community corrections no longer needs to follow such a model for dealing with change.
By turning to the principles for managing and directing change outlined above, it can establish itself as a clear-sighted, valuable player in criminal justice and demonstrate to stakeholders and customers alike that it can achieve what it promises, that it can make a difference to public safety. It can indeed fulfill a professional dream of decades and become the master of its own fate.