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Staff-Led Change Teams at the Helm of Probation Quality Improvement Processes: The Plan-Do-Study-Act Project in the Massachusetts Probation Service
SESSION INFO
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Session Type: Workshop
Quality improvement processes are designed to assist administrators, staff, and stakeholders to identify resolutions to common problems, with an emphasis on tailor-made solutions that fit local contexts. The Massachusetts Probation Service, in partnership with George Mason University and the American Probation and Parole Association, formed office-level change teams that ranged in size from 2 to 10 staff. The teams include a cross-section of the agency, including line staff and administrators. The teams have an external facilitator to assist them as they navigate the four phases of the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement process: (1) “plan” to identify problem areas and review data; (2) “do” to brainstorm different resolutions; (3) “study” to oversee data and material on the impact of the proposed change; and (4) “act” to routinize the recommendations into practice. Six of the change teams will present on their PDSA projects, which include pretrial, condition-setting, enhanced supervision, and violation reduction initiatives. The presentation will cover the activities of the change teams, outcome measures to assess impact of the initiative, and lessons learned from the process. This session will highlight the value of the PDSA process to address inter- and intra-agency issues by helping to develop local solutions to system problems.
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SESSION PRESENTERS
Faye S. Taxman, PhD
University Professor, George Mason University
Faye S. Taxman, Ph.D. is a University Professor at George Mason University. Dr. Taxman is recognized for her work in the development of the seamless systems of care models that link the criminal justice with other service delivery systems, as well as reengineering probation and parole supervision services, and organizational change models. She conducted a multi-level organizational survey of the correctional and drug treatment systems to examine the utilization of evidence-based practice in correctional and drug treatment settings and the factors that affect the adoption of science based processes and interventions. She has several studies that examine the efficacy of various models of technology transfer and processes to integrate treatment and supervision. In one study, she explores the use of contingency management and incentive systems for drug-involved offenders. Her work covers the breadth of the correctional system from jails and prisons to community corrections and adult and juvenile offenders. She has had three R01 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and one cooperative agreement. She has also received funding from the National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Corrections and Bureau of Justice Assistance for her work.
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