Glossary of Terms

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

Antisocial – Hostile or harmful to organized society; being or marked by behavior deviating sharply from the social norm

Apprenticeship – An On-the-Job training program supported by either the federal or state Department of Labor. Apprenticeship programs usually define both classroom requirements and technical competencies required to obtain the journeyman level.Apprenticeships are highly recognizable and portable in the labor market.

Best Practice – A practice that can be measured and has proven results

Barriers to Success – Barriers ex-offenders face when seeking employment. Barriers may include societal stigmas, former offender attitudes, legal barriers, etc.

Brand – The name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's product distinct from those of other sellers.

Career Resource Centers – Centers that can be set up in a prison facility that provide a variety of resources to prepare the inmate for the world of work

Cash Conversion Cycle – The period of time beginning with the initial outlay of cash for raw materials and ending with payment of goods or services provided

Certification – The confirmation of certain characteristics of a person, or organization; this confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, or assessment.

Cognitive Behavior Training (CBT) – A systematic approach to addressing dysfunctional thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through structured workshops

Collaboration Inventory – An analysis to assess a potential partners/stakeholders’ strengths and weakness that allows you to address any deficiencies that might exist, thus increasing the probability of a successful partnership

Communication Plan – Step by step process that includes determining who to target, when, with what message and how, in order to ensure that the intended message is received, understood, and acted upon by the recipient. Communication channels include advertising, public relations, experiences or direct mail.

Conflict Resolution – Also known as Reconciliation, this is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict. The term conflict resolution may also be used interchangeably with dispute resolution, where arbitration and litigation processes are critically involved.

Core Values – A principle that guides an organization's internal conduct as well as its relationship with the external world. Core values are usually summarized in the mission statement or in a statement of core values.

Criminogenic Needs – Dynamic crime producing factors that are strongly correlated with risk; these include factors like offenders’ attitudes and values, their lack of problem solving skills, their substance abuse and their employment status. These factors are all correlated with recidivism and can be targeted for change.

Dashboard – Popular graphic tool used to display program toward strategic goals

Evidence-Based Practice – A successful practice that is supported by rigorous research and creditable sources

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) – Manufacturing driven software used to manage inventory, order processing, costing, raw material ordering and tracking, labor costs, asset management, accounts receivables, budgeting and forecasting

Gainful Attachment to the WorkplaceOngoing connection to the labor force via vocational education, specialized training, volunteer placements, academic pursuits, as well as paid employment, to support personal fulfillment and positive self-image while leading to self-sufficiency

Hot Buttons – Issues that cause people to feel strong emotions (such as anger) and to argue with each other

Job Readiness Assessments – A structured series of questions about work history, education, and attitudes on work, motivation, and resilience to determine offenders’ employability

Job Search Knowledge Scale (JSKS) – An assessment used to discover the job search skills an individual needs to find work faster

Job Search Attitude Inventory (JSAI) –A 40-item inventory designed to make job seekers more aware of their self-directed and other directed attitudes about their search for employment

Labor Market Information (LMI) – Job availability in a certain location, includes job types, vacancies and wages

Mission – A pre-established and often self-imposed objective or purpose (statement of the company's mission)

Mission Statement – The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making. It provides the framework or context within which the company's strategies are formulated.

Motivational Interviewing –A counseling style that works to engage and strengthen motivation for change

Offender Employability Specialist (OES) –A professional who maximizes offenders’ potential for successful reentry by guiding offenders to opportunities in job development, placement, retention, and advancement.

Offender Workforce Development Specialist (OWDS) – A professional who helps offenders make informed decisions about jobs and career paths

Operational Funds – Cash required to cover operating expenses

Performance Management System – Activities which ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. Performance management can focus on the performance of an organization, a department, employee, or even the processes to build a product of service, as well as many other areas. Performance Management is also known as a process by which organizations align their resources, systems and employees to strategic objectives and priorities

PEST Analysis – An analysis to determine the Political, Economic, Social and Technological challenges facing your organization

PIE – The Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP), or commonly referred to as “PIE”, exempts certified state and local departments of correction and other eligible entities from normal restrictions on the sale of offender-made goods in interstate commerce. The program also lifts restrictions on these certified entities permitting them to sell offender-made goods to the Federal Government in amounts exceeding the $10,000 maximum normally imposed on such transactions. The PIE Certification Program was created by Congress in 1979 to encourage states and units of local government to establish employment opportunities for offenders that approximate private-sector work opportunities.

Promising Practice – A practice that is showing promising results but does not have enough data collected or rigorous research conducted

Recidivism – Repeated relapse, or the rate at which criminals re-offend; the US Department of Justice defines recidivism as the percent of released prisoners rearrested within 3 years.

Reentry – The transition of offenders from prisons or jails back into the community.

Rehabilitation –The act of bringing someone back to a normal, healthy condition; to teach a criminal in prison to live a normal and productive life.

Revenue Stream – The channels by which money flows into an organization.

Root Cause Analysis – Used to understand the threats, barriers and challenges to achieving the desired end state.

Soft Skills – Personality traits that enable someone to interact effectively with other people.

Stakeholder –One that has a stake in an enterprise; one who is involved in or affected by a course of action

Stakeholder Mapping – An analysis used to determine and rank your stakeholders by influence and interest in your program.

Strategic Plan – An organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. It may also extend to control mechanisms for guiding the implementation of the strategy.

SWOT Analysis – An analysis to determine the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats facing your organization.

Taglines – a memorable phrase or sentence that is closely associated with a particular person, product, etc.

Transferable Skills – Aptitude and knowledge acquired through personal experience such as schooling, jobs, classes, hobbies, sports etc. Basically, any talent developed and able to be used in future employment

Trigger Points – Communicating with customers at preplanned points in time; the customer decides when a communication occurs through prompts captured in a data collection and analysis system.

Value Proposition – An analysis of what your customers value versus the values of your organization.

Vision – An aspirational description of what an organization would like to achieve or accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future. It is intended to serve as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action.