Corrections_Today_September_October_2023_Vol.85_No.5

TRAUMA INFORMED DESIGN p. 42

Corrections September-October 2023

Today

HIGHER EDUCATION: COLLEGE OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGH-SECURITY PRISONS p. 36

NEWS&VIEWS AND MORE AND MORE

Reserve your tabletop display today! Education in Corrections Symposium

Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 — all day!

Special Event!

The price includes admission to the symposium for two attendees, one table and two chairs.

Why Exhibit with Us: • Targeted Audience: Connect with decision-makers and professionals in the corrections and education sectors. • Visibility: Showcase your products and services to a diverse and engaged audience. • Networking: Build relationships with industry leaders and potential clients. • Market Expansion: Expand your presence in the corrections education field. Exhibitor Benefits: • Exhibition Space: Reserving a table top and two chairs will allow you to display your product • Marketing Exposure: Be featured in event promotions, materials, and social media. • Networking Opportunities: Connect with educators, correctional professionals, and decision makers Who Should Exhibit: • Education Service Providers • EdTech Companies • Training Solutions Providers • Correctional Education Programs • Innovative Education Startups

$1,250 The one-day Education in Corrections Symposium exhibitor rate.

The Education in Corrections Symposium and ACA 2024 Winter Conference exhibitor discount rate (must be an exhibitor at the ACA 2024 Winter Conference on Jan, 5–7, 2024).

$750.00

The “Education in Corrections Symposium” will be held on the first day of the American Correctional Association’s Winter Conference Thursday, Jan. 4 th , 2024. This symposium is in ADDITION to our traditional conference format full of amazing workshop sessions, presentations, exhibitors, events and speakers. This Education in Corrections Symposium is a platform for correctional professionals, educators, researchers and thought leaders to come together and discuss the intersection of education and corrections. Attendees can expect a dynamic and interactive program combined with a trade fair within the same room featuring insightful presentations, panel discussions and breakout opportunities. The symposium will feature the importance of education in correctional facilities, highlighting its potential to facilitate rehabilitation, reduce recidivism rates, dramatically reduce institutional violence and foster safer communities both within and outside our correctional facilities while serving as a catalyst for positive environment and culture change. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with industry experts, analyze data, exchange ideas and gain a deeper understanding of innovative educational approaches and strategies being utilized to deliver education in what can be a challenging environment. The Education in Corrections Symposium strives to educate the profession on the many incredible programs operating around the country, encourage and inspire collaboration, spark creativity and drive positive change in corrections with data driven outcomes. Expected attendees include legislative leaders; federal, state and local leaders across the intersection of education, criminal justice, reentry and related supportive fields; correctional professionals, officers, administrators and managers; educators and researchers specializing in criminal justice, corrections and related fields; representatives from government agencies, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions and students pursuing degrees or an enhanced understanding of education in corrections.

Contact Da’Shawn Burnette at (703) 224-0030 or dashawnb@aca.org to reserve your tabletop space

Correctional Behavioral Health Training and Certification Program

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For more information, email healthcare@aca.org

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American Correctional Association Corrections Today September/October 2023 Vol. 85, No. 5

Features 26

36

Higher education College opportunities in high-security prisons By India Duke, ODRC Public Information Officer

How real-world experiences can help correctional administrators and academics By Salvatore Cerrato

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A recipe for success Right On Crime Reentry Gumbo: Creating stronger and safer communities By Scott Peyton

Transition from jail to community Community Partner Fair By Paul J. Mulloy, MA LADAC II, NCAC II, QCS

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Implementing Evidence-Based Recidivism Reduction Program in Wyoming State Penitentiary A strategic approach to enhancing rehabilitation and public safety By Robert Chapa

Drivers in trauma informed design By Jeff Goodale

Cover photo: Adobe Stock/mnirat

2 — September/October 2023 Corrections Today

CHAPTERS AND AFFILIATES

Alabama Council on Crime and Delinquency—Albany Criminal Justice Association—Alston Wilkes Society—American Catholic Correctional Ministries—American Correctional Health Services Association—American Institute of Architects—American Jail Association—American Probation and Parole Association—Appalachian State University Student Chapter—Arizona Probation, Parole and Corrections Association—Arizona State University ACA Student Chapter—Association for Correctional Research and Information Management—Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliates— Association of Paroling Authorities International—Association of State Correctional Administrators—Association of Programs for Female Offenders—Association of Women Executives in Corrections—Bellmont High School Student Chapter—Brown Mackie College ACA Student Chapter—California Probation, Parole and Correctional Association— Caribbean Correctional Association—Champlain Valley Educational Services—Clayton State University Justice Society—Colorado Criminal Justice Association—Columbia-Greene Community College—Criminal Justice Club Student Chapter—Concordia University Sociology of Law & Justice Club—Connecticut Criminal Justice Association—Correctional Accreditation Managers Association—Correctional Association of Massachusetts—Correctional Education Association—Correctional Healthcare Providers of the United States—Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators—District of Columbia Criminal Justice Association—Eastern Kentucky University Corrections and Juvenile Justice Student Association—Family and Corrections Network—Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency—Harrison College Criminal Justice Association Student Chapter—Hawaii Criminal Justice Association—Historical Association for Corrections—Illinois Correctional Association—Indiana Criminal Justice Association—Integrated Correctional Association of the Philippines (ICAP) Inc.—International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology—International Association of Correctional Training Personnel—International Correctional Arts Network—International Corrections and Prisons Association—International Community Corrections Association—Iowa Corrections Association—Jamaica Federation of Corrections—ITT Technical Institute ACA Student Chapter—Ivy Tech Community College Terre Haute Branch ACA Student Chapter—Juvenile Justice Trainers Association—Kansas Correctional Association—Kentucky Council on

Crime and Delinquency Inc.—Louisiana Correctional Association—Martin University Student Chapter—Maryland Criminal Justice Association— Michigan Corrections Association—Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association—Minnesota Corrections Association—Missouri Corrections Association—Missouri Western University Student Chapter—Moraine Park Technical College Corrections Club—National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice—National Association of Correctional Record Administrators and Supervisors—National Association of Juvenile Correctional Agencies— National Association of Probation Executives—National Association of Adult and Juvenile State Corrections Mental Health Directors—National Correctional Industries Association Inc.—National Council on Crime and Delinquency—National Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators— National Juvenile Detention Association—National Major Gang Task Force—National Organization of Hispanics in Criminal Justice—National Partnership for Juvenile Services—Nebraska Correctional Association— Nevada Corrections Association—New Jersey Chapter Association—New Mexico Criminal Justice Association—New York Corrections and Youth Services Association—North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents—North Carolina Correctional Association—Northern Illinois University Academic Justice Association—Ohio Correctional and Court Services Association—Oklahoma Correctional Association— Oregon Criminal Justice Association—Parole and Probation Compact Administrators Association—Pennsylvania Association of Probation, Parole and Corrections—Pierce College Criminal Justice Club—Prison Fellowship—Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Association—Richmond Community College Student Chapter—St. Augustine’s College ACA Student Chapter—Salvation Army—South Carolina Correctional Association—Southern States Correctional Association—State University of New York–Albany—Tennessee Corrections Association— Texas Corrections Association—University of Central Missouri Student Chapter—University of Illinois/Chicago Criminal Justice Society—Utah Correctional Association—Virginia Correctional Association—Volunteers of America Inc.—Washburn University ACA Student Chapter—Washington Correctional Association—Western Illinois University Corrections Club— Western Correctional Association—Westwood College Angels—Wisconsin Correctional Association—WITC New Richmond Criminal Justice Club— Wyoming Correctional Association

OFFICERS PRESIDENT

Denise M. Robinson, Ohio IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Tony C. Parker, Tennessee VICE PRESIDENT Tyrone Oliver, Georgia PRESIDENT-ELECT Ricky D. Dixon, Florida TREASURER Harbans S. Deol, Ph.D., Nebraska BOARD OF GOVERNORS REPRESENTATIVES Burl Cain, Mississippi Garry M. McFadden, North Carolina SECRETARY Robert L. Green, Maryland EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert L. Green MANAGING EDITOR Kirk Raymond GRAPHICS AND PRODUCTION STAFF GRAPHIC DESIGNER Carla DeCarlo COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST Sarah Castillo ADVERTISING AND MARKETING STAFF DIRECTOR, CONVENTIONS, ADVERTISING AND CORPORATE RELATIONS Kelli McAfee PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Mary Misisco

ARTICLE AND PHOTO SUBMISSIONS: Managing Editor, 206 N. Washington St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314; email submissions@ aca.org. Articles must be in Microsoft Word. Please include all contact information. Unless expressly requested in writing, all photos and artwork submitted become the property of ACA and may be used in future ACA publications. Articles and photos will not be returned unless expressly requested by author. ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: Production coordinator, 800-222-5646 ext. 0019. Written inquiries should be mailed to 206 N. Washington St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314. Statements contained in Corrections Today are the personal views of the authors and do not constitute ACA policy unless so indicated. ACA does not assume responsibility for the content of Corrections Today as submitted by contributors, reserves the right to edit all articles and, if necessary, condense them. The publication of any advertisement by ACA is neither an endorsement of the

ACA EXECUTIVE OFFICE AND DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Robert L. Green James A. Gondles Jr., CAE, Executive Director Emeritus DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jeffrey Washington CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Ben Nalette, CPA SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT India Vargas CONVENTIONS, ADVERTISING AND CORPORATE RELATIONS DIRECTOR Kelli McAfee MEMBERSHIP AND CUSTOMER SERVICE DIRECTOR Roberta Gibson INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES Elizabeth Gondles, Ph.D. — Chief Executive Officer Global Corrections Service OFFICE OF CORRECTIONAL HEALTH DIRECTORS Terri L. Catlett — Director Dr. Dean Aufderheide — Director of Mental Health STANDARDS AND ACCREDITATION DIRECTOR David Haasenritter PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR Dr. Valorie L. Sanders, LBBP INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACTING DIRECTOR Ben Nalette, CPA COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR Kirk Raymond

advertiser nor of the products or services advertised. ACA is not responsible for any claims made in advertisements.

CONNECT WITH US ONLINE

MISSION STATEMENT: The American Correctional Association provides a professional organization for all individuals and groups, both public and private, that share a common goal of improving the justice system. Corrections Today (ISSN 0190-2563, USPS 019-640) is published six times a year in January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/ December by the American Correctional Association, 206 N. Washington St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703-224-0000. Send any changes to Corrections Today, Attn: Membership Department, 206 N. Washington St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314. Subscriptions are included in annual membership dues. Nonmember subscription rates are $25 per year for Corrections Today ($36 value) or $6 per issue. Printed in USA. Vol. 85, No. 5. Copyright 2023 by the American Correctional Association.

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Corrections Today September/October 2023— 3

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News&Views

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From Rob’s Desk 8 Correctional Chaplain Perspectives

14 NIC Update 16 NIJ Update 22 View from the Line 59 ACA Featured Departments

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Welcome New Members

62

Certification List

63

2024 E.R. Cass Award Nomination Form

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66

Corrections Calendar

68

Index to Advertisers/ Product Index

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4 — September/October 2023 Corrections Today

How to get published in CORRECTIONS TODAY

BE AN OPINION LEADER

Do you have something important to say about corrections? Are you an expert in your field? Do you want to earn recertification credits? Get published in CORRECTIONS TODAY , and reach thousands of your peers!

CORRECTIONS TODAY Submission Guidelines

• All feature authors who are corrections practitioners must be ACA members. To join, visit www.aca.org. • Any articles written by an individual from a private company must have a corrections practitioner co-author or an academic co-author. • Feature articles should be written in journalist style using third person rather than first person (avoid using “I” or “we”). • Manuscript must be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font and single-spaced. • Ideally, articles should be 2,000-2,500 words. • Include your name, title, agency name, mailing address, email address, office or home telephone number, and fax number. Also include a resume or biographical information with your article.

• We must be notified in writing at the time of submission if you are submitting the article to any other publications. Corrections Today is a copyrighted magazine that has exclusive rights unless permission is granted for reprints. • If appropriate, submit charts, graphs or diagrams with the manuscript to illustrate the topic. These should be sent as separate files in the program in which they were created. • Any references discussed in the text must be cited at the end of the article as endnotes. Do not, however, use the endnote/footnote function in Microsoft Word. • Please include photos to accompany the article, if they are available, and include credit and caption information. Photos should be high resolution (at least 300 dpi) and sent as .jpg files in separate attachments.

For more information or to submit an article, contact the managing editor at submissions@aca.org or call 703-224-0193.

American Society of Business Publication Editors A|S|B|P|E Fostering B2B editorial excellence 2018 Regional DESIGN Award Winner

5

From Rob’s Desk NEWS&VIEWS

Winter Conference Approaches

F all is a gentle reminder that it's time to embrace the change of seasons, rekindle our motivation and get back to work with renewed enthusiasm. I want to express my gratitude to each of you for being a part of this wonderful association. Over the last month I have received countless emails, texts and phone calls welcoming me as the Executive Director of The American Correctional Association. The ACA staff have been work ing tirelessly since the conclusion of our 153 rd Congress of Correction in Philadelphia to organize a series of engaging opportunities and initia tives for the coming months. All are designed with you, our valued members, in mind, and we aim to provide you with valuable resources, networking opportunities and educa tional experiences. Your feedback and suggestions are instrumental in shaping our as sociation. The personal letter to our membership from President Denise Robinson has generated a significant number of responses with great input and observations. One of the highlights of our upcoming calendar is the Winter

Conference January 4 th through 7 th at National Harbor, Maryland. This conference promises to be an excep tional gathering of industry experts, thought leaders and passionate professionals. Conference materials recently went up on our website in cluding both conference registration and housing. In the first 24 hours, we had over 1,000 room nights booked so please don’t delay! I recently visited the Gaylord and met with their team charged with helping us prepare for your arrival. It’s an incredible venue. They have agreed to leave their holiday decora tions up for our conference. It is one of the holiday must sees in the D.C. metropolitan area and we are saving it for you! With three major airports and a major east coast train corridor serving the area, travel to National Harbor could not be easier. I want to thank our membership and the broader correctional profes sion for your interest in presenting at the Winter Conference. We have received over 125 proposals from across the spectrum of our profes sion. We assure you the workshops selected for the Winter Conference will represent the broadest cross

section of our work. We always strive to provide a conference experi ence that allows each member to see themselves and their work in the fabric of the American Correctional Association. I ask you to stay connected and watch for announcements in the coming days of the major events and activities we will be offering to you at the Winter Conference. It will be an incredible opportunity for us to connect, learn from one another and showcase our collective expertise. I encourage each and every one of you to mark your calendars and join us for this enriching event. Together, we have built an in clusive association that celebrates collaboration, growth and excel lence. I am honored to be a part of this community and to serve as your association's Executive Director as we continue to tell the “Story of Us”, the corrections professional. Thanks for all you do!

Robert L. Green ACA Executive Director

6 — September/October 2023 Corrections Today

Coming Soon!

National Harbor, MD ACA 2024 WINTER

CONFERENCE JAN. 4–7, 2023

AMERICAN CORRECTIONAL ASSOCIATION 206 N. Washington St., Suite 200 Alexandria, VA 22314 • www.aca.org

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NEWS&VIEWS

CORRECTIONAL CHAPLAIN PERSPECTIVES

Chaplaincy as care, care as chaplaincy By Lia F. Kornmehl W hat is the modern case for correctional chap laincy? Cutting-edge From roughly the late-seventeenth through mid-nineteenth centuries, reverends dictated prison and jail policies, establishing daily schedules

staffing challenges, religion remains unavoidable in carceral facilities. Chaplaincy work is continually rel evant given the religious expression protections of the First Amend ment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) as well as the preeminence of ministry baked into American culture. As chaplain and scholar Jessica Van Denend aptly ob served in 2007, “prison is a spiritual hothouse.” 3 Her description conveys the chaos of carceral spaces but also alludes to religion’s capacity, and

surveillance systems, officer hiring incentives, and secular rehabilitative programming increasingly dominate DOC budgets. Across America more broadly, houses of worship report historic levels of public disillusion ment with religion as a whole. 1 And yet, religion and spirituality are abundant in prisons and jails, possessing a rare fluidity in environ ments defined by restriction. As a researcher of religion and govern ment, I spent two years investigating how correctional chaplains navigate this apparent paradox of movement and confinement. After interviewing chaplains of several denominations and religious backgrounds across the country, I found that chaplains can be the most capable correctional administrators of introducing and sustaining life-affirming and dig nifying care. Put simply, chaplains remain enormously powerful in carceral contexts. Chaplaincy across history Since the very first Puritans settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, chaplains have played an instrumental role in the formation of the American correctional landscape.

and long-term disciplinary objec tives. 2 Amid the proliferation of secular psychological counseling and enhanced surveillance technolo gies of the late-nineteenth century, chaplains began to lose their histori cal primacy. Today, chaplains are one part of complex prison and jail administrations, often paperwork laden alongside secular colleagues. However, despite funding and

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8 — September/October 2023 Corrections Today

Correctional Chaplain Perspectives

Pastoral methodologies

by extension a chaplain’s ability, to warm up the frigid and static zone that is a prison or jail. Unsurprisingly, my interviewees all understood the word “religion” differently. Based on the aggregate of my conversations, I understand religion as one’s relationship with the world mediated by an overarch ing spiritual existence. Relationships change with location, time, age, and proximity. Yet, correctional policies and even the minimized confines of single-person cells cannot to tally diminish incarcerated person’s religious identity and expres

preference over lengthy pastoral counseling. Such programs usually draw from faith-specific resources sent in by outside organizations hoping to combine life skills training with theological education. The pastoral methodologies of most of my chaplain interviewees fall somewhere between Anna and Reverend Thomas. Religious ex periences of chaplains and those incarcerated are far from monolithic. Imam Omar, who converted to Islam during a period of incarceration, cites the Sunni Islamic learning group he

Across my research, I also ob served that no two chaplains view or undertake their administrative and religious obligations the same way. Anna, based on the West Coast, mainly attends to Jewish and Bud dhist women detained in a large city jail system. She draws from her multifaith training to prioritize “a culture of care” over reinforcing any particular religious tradition in her relationships with incarcerated individuals. Mark, an Episcopalian volunteer chaplain in Maine, simi

encountered as the reason he “transcended” the carceral environment and sought op portunities to give back to incarcerated communities once released. Moreover, as Reverend Paul remarked, just one person “turning” to religion or setting out on a path toward meaning can ripple and swell through a correctional facility. Resis tant to physical modifications or incursions, the walls, bars, and doors of prisons and jails are permeable to reli gion and spirituality — to an

sion. In this way, religion is in constant motion inside correctional facilities, ebbing between the individual, community, and environ ment, unable to be fully contained but always able to be fully felt. The variability of spiritual care reflects the dynamism of religion itself. Drawing on a variety of lived experiences and theological training, individual chaplains under stand and express care in a variety of ways. For Rever

Moreover, as Reverend Paul remarked, just one person “turning” to religion or setting out on a path toward meaning can ripple and swell through a correctional facility.

larly emphasized fostering space for introspection and agency within and outside of the makeshift chapel’s stone walls. As a chaplain, “you have to give people the spiritual suste nance that they seek,” Mark outlined. “Not that you want them to have,” he stressed, “but that they seek.” Their pastoral styles contrast with the Protestant veteran chaplain Reverend Thomas, who previously directed a statewide chaplaincy program and commends religion-based reha bilitative programs as his strategic

end Paul in Maine, care manifests in the extra hours he spends sourcing a religious object. Rabbi Helen, work ing in multiple Northeast medium and maximum-security prisons, extends care by lowering her eyes as she walks through a housing unit to avoid peering into individual rooms. 4 Care may be communicated through a lengthy conversation or reverberate in a moment of silent listening. In each instance, though, spiritual care requires a chaplain to be vulnerable and flexible.

extent. Each day, chaplains balance providing tailored care with uphold ing security policies, including those governing which religious objects are allowed inside and who is per mitted to access them. Such religious objects are part of the “spiritual sustenance” Mark highlighted and can be a critical means of religious expression. Rabbi Adrian and Benjamin, working in a Northeast city jail system and Mid-Atlantic maximum-security prison, respectively, spoke about the

Corrections Today September/October 2023 — 9

NEWS&VIEWS

challenges of collecting and dispens ing some non-Christian religious materials, including head coverings and special meals for incarcerated Jews and Muslims. Such challenges persist despite clear legal precedents for the distribution of such materials, especially since RLUIPA’s imple mentation. Conversely, as Rabbi Adrian explained, his facility had such an excess of Bibles that ad ministrators decided to stop freely handing them out when they discov ered the men used the books’ thin paper to roll handmade cigarettes. As the examples above demonstrate, chaplains constantly negotiate law, best practices, security concerns, and intuition in deciding what to give out and what to hold back. “Getting it right,” as Reverend Paul put it, is usually an ideal for chaplains rather than a consistently realized goal. Building restorative connections Correctional chaplaincy has neither one form nor one goal. I am heartened that more religious

but agency to fulfill one’s religious tradition while incarcerated and equitable access to religious materi als inside have enormous potential to ameliorate suffering and build restorative human connections through and beyond bars. END NOTES 1 “Modeling the Future of Religion in America” (Pew Research Center, September 2022), https:// www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/how u-s-religious-composition-has-changed-in-recent decades/; Jessica Grose, “The Largest and Fastest Religious Shift in America Is Well Underway,” The New York Times , June 21, 2023, sec. Opinion, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/21/opinion/ religion-dechurching.html. 2 For a more detailed account of the formation of the American penal system and the chaplain’s everchanging role in said system, see Jennifer Graber, The Furnace of Affliction: Prisons & Religion in Antebellum America (Chapel Hill, N.C: University of North Carolina Press, 2011) and Adam Jay Hirsch, The Rise of the Penitentiary: Prisons and Punishment in Early America , Yale Historical Publications (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992). 3 Jessica Van Denend, “A New Look at Chaplaincy in a Prison Setting,” The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 61, no. 4 (Winter 2007): 396. 4 All examples here and below are excerpted from in-depth interviews conducted by the author from early 2022 through the spring of 2023. All names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved, per Institutional Review Board research ethics standards.

studies scholars are taking up the work of illuminating the nuances, reflections, reckonings, and hopes of chaplains like those mentioned above. Despite overseeing huge swaths of religious landscapes and experiences, their influence is at times belittled. And still, decades after the advent of psychology based rehabilitative programming, religious services remain ubiquitous inside prisons and jails. This is not to say that prison and jail adminis trators should return to the colonial model of unfettered religious instruction or adopt policies based on the dogma of any one religious tradition. Religion is not the only way through or out of incarceration, and spiritual doors often open more easily than their steel counterparts. So, to return to my initial question, I find that the modern case for cor rectional chaplaincy is made each day in the honest, two-way spiritual relationships built between many chaplains and those incarcerated. Chaplaincy is not a universal salve,

Lia F. Kornmehl is an MPhil Candidate in Theology, Religion, and the Philosophy of Religion in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge funded

by a Gates-Cambridge Scholarship. She recently graduated with a B.A. in Religion from Bowdoin College where she completed her ethnographic thesis, “Service Beyond Bars: How Correctional Chaplains Mediate the Movement of Religion in Prisons and Jails.” Additionally, Lia volunteered in the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Maine as a Chaplain Intern.

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10 — September/October 2023 Corrections Today

WARDENS • SUPERINTENDENTS • DEPUTIES • COMMISSIONERS/ASSISTANT DIRECTORS

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Correctional Nurse Manager Training and Certification Program

The CCN/M First Edition Study Guide NOW AVAILABLE!

• The CCN/M certification cate- gory includes individuals who work as nurse managers in a correctional environment. • They are management staff

who may contribute to the development of policy and

procedures, are responsible for their implementation and have authority over staff nurses.

For more information, please email healthcare@aca.org or call 703-224-0049

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Correctional Nurse Manager Training and Certification Curriculum

Module 1 — Health Care in Corrections Section 1A – Appropriate and Necessary Health Care Section 1B – Access to Care Section 1C – Total Quality Management Section 1D – Prevention of Contagion Module 2 — Legal Issues in Corrections Section 2A – History of Correctional Law Section 2B – Inmate Rights v. Inmate Privileges Section 2C – Landmark Court Cases Section 2D – Inmate Grievances Section 2E – Confidentiality Section 3A – Basics of Mental Illness Section 3B – Mental Health Assessments Section 3C – Crisis Intervention Section 3D – Suicide Prevention Section 3E – Trauma Informed Care Section 3F – The Multidisciplinary Service Team and Multidisciplinary Treatment Team Section 3G – Managing Disruptive Inmates Section 4A – Scope and Nature of Correctional Nursing Section 4B – Understanding the Standards of Correctional Nurse Practice Section 4C – Understanding the Standards of Professional Performance Section 4D – Ethics Section 4E – Accreditation Module 4 — Nursing Practice and Accreditation Module 3 — Behavioral Health

Module 5 — Security Section 5A – Equipment/Supplies Accountability Section 5B – Inspections and Investigations Section 5C – Problem Inmates Section 5D – Emergencies Module 6 — General and Inmate Management Section 6A – Special Needs Inmates Section 6B – Policy and Procedures Section 6C – Communication Section 6D – Classification Section 6E – Health Education Programs Module 7 — Conflict Management Section 7A – Staff Conflict Management Section 7B – Inmate Conflict Management Section 7C – Mediation Section 7D – Staff Grievances Module 8 — Human Resource Management Section 8A – Staff Management Section 8B – Recruitment and Retention Section 8C – Staff Development

Eligibility Requirements: Certified Correctional Nurse Manager (CCN/M)

• RN license in good standing with corresponding state nursing board

• 2 years of correctional nurse management experience; supervises other medical personnel and administrative staff

• Associate, Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Master of Science (M.S.) in Nursing or completion of an accredited nursing program

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NEWS&VIEWS

NIC UPDATE

Experience correctional leadership development with the National Institute of Corrections By Donna Ledbetter I firmly believe that all agencies should have some type of lead ership development program long waves of retirement, which has most recently translated into staff ing shortages and extended open vacancies for numerous departments teams, manage complex projects and represent the organization at senior levels.

“

for future leaders,” says Jim Wise man, a facilitator for the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Cor rectional Leadership Development (CLD) Series. Succession planning, or identify ing current, highly qualified staff within an organization to take on new roles, has long been a challenge for corrections. The field periodi cally suffers from high turnover and

“[The] training is truly about the impact it can have on an agency,” Wiseman says. With qualified staff, organizations can maneuver them selves into better positions to meet their goals and address organiza tional needs. The CLD Experience NIC Correctional Program Spe cialist (CPS) Leslie LeMaster, and

of corrections. There can also be loss of the institutional knowledge that contributes to the stability of an organization. NIC developed the CLD series in part to help organizations address succession planning through their leadership capacity. That is, the number of qualified staff they have who are equipped with skills to lead

facilitators Jim Wiseman and Dr. John Eggers, a former NIC employee, have delivered CLD train ing together for years, both in person and virtu ally. LeMaster and Eggers are developers of CLD. “I was fortunate to work with Jim Wiseman when I was a CPS with the NIC Academy,” Egg ers says. “Jim and I have worked with Leslie Le Master in developing and delivering the CLD pro gram. Jim is a top-notch leader developer, and a true joy to work with. All

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NIC Update

three of us see the importance of developing senior level leaders for the future.” Today, LeMaster is the program manager for CLD and coordinates the selection of participating agen cies and their subsequent training schedule. She is also responsible for shepherding CLD from an in-person program to a virtual environment. “Who says soft skills training cannot be done in virtual!” LeMaster says. “Not us!” Soft skills, like communication, teamwork and critical thinking, are essential to the success of CLD, but they can be difficult to teach online because it’s easy to miss physical and emotional cues when receiving feedback through a computer screen. That is why coaching and teamwork are integral to CLD. The full CLD online program consists of two phases of eight three hour classes held via WebEx. In the three to six months between phases one and two, program participants participate in leadership activities and receive coaching. “The coaching aspect of this program has given me the most satis faction,” Wiseman says. “My passion has always been ensuring that staff have the knowledge and skills neces sary to be safe and successful in their workplaces.” Participants also complete an agency-specific action learning plan (ALP). The ALP is a unique feature of CLD that involves participation from agency leadership to have stu dents work in teams to address real issues that an agency faces. “If participants attend training and then don’t apply what they have learned, then the training has been

executive-level sponsors in the success of ALP teams and members – Target high-performing staff for further leadership roles and development within the department While not attributed directly to CLD, several participants from the West Virginia cohort received pro motions within the department while participating in the program. Among the many words that par ticipants used to describe their CLD experience, descriptors such as “en lightening,” “informative,” “busy,” and “useful” were common. Related NIC Leadership Programs The National Institute of Correc tions offers a collection of training in addition to CLD that addresses organizational leadership capac ity. Frontline supervisors, mid-level managers, and executives each have dedicated programs targeted to the roles and responsibilities of their position. Like the CLD series, some courses are available both in person and virtually. Interested agencies and depart ments of correction are encouraged to visit NIC’s webpage on leader ship development in corrections to find the program best suited for their agency and to learn how to apply. 1 END NOTES 1 Visit https://nicic.gov/resources/resources topics-and-roles/topics/leadership-development corrections Donna Ledbetter is the technical writer/ editor for the National Institute of Corrections, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Justice.

a waste of time. With CLD we can observe how participants applied the knowledge and skills they received during the CLD process,” says Wiseman. Sample ALPs might include developing a field training officer program that leverages the expertise of experienced deputies, creating a professional development program to assist employees in attaining specific competencies for promotion and suc cession or proposing a staff wellness program that addresses identified retention issues. Among the criteria for ALPs is that they are unique to the partici pating agency, must be tied to the agency’s mission, address long-range issues and create a lasting benefit to the organization. CLD in Action The West Virginia Department of Corrections is one of the latest graduating classes of the CLD series. At the time of their participation, the agency was involved in a major restructuring project, had significant staffing issues and was receiving out side help to assist with some of the department’s operations. Being de liberate about the ALP projects and teams that were part of the program helped the department use the CLD to address its organizational needs. All project teams represented a mix of correctional disciplines. West Virginia’s participation helped them to: – Collapse silos among affected agencies to facilitate the depart ment’s restructuring – Enhance their ability to imple ment succession plans thanks to the active involvement of

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NIJ UPDATE

Using data and science to understand the impact of COVID-19 on corrections By NIJ Staff

Authors’ Note: Findings and conclu sions reported in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. T he global COVID-19 pan demic has significantly altered our way of life while cutting short hundreds of thou sands of American lives. Roughly 15 months into the pandemic, the United States had reported more than 32 million cases of the deadly virus and 600,000 COVID-19 deaths. 1 Since March 2020, the pan demic has impacted the entire criminal justice system, especially corrections. Between March and June 2020, more than 11% of the 215,360 COVID-19 tests conducted in local jails were positive. 2 As the world changed, the justice system remained obligated both to protect public safety by providing secure environments for incarcerated indi viduals and to maintain the safety and security of staff and those in custody. Although always a critical mis sion, protecting physical health and safety took on a different mean ing during this time. The spread of COVID-19 led to significant changes

in corrections operations, including reductions in institutional admis sions, increases in early releases to the community, the modification or suspension of certain programming due to physical safety guidelines, and shifts to virtual visitation in facilities and virtual meetings for individuals on probation and parole. During the last year, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the U.S. Department of Justice’s research, development, and evaluation agency, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the country’s primary source

of criminal justice statistics, worked to understand and document the impact of COVID-19 on corrections systems and offer recommendations to institutional and community cor rections agencies on best practices going forward. NIJ and BJS reports and briefs As part of that effort, NIJ and BJS have released reports and briefs to support corrections agencies as they continue to adjust their practices and begin to resume pre-pandemic operations.

Adobe Stock/ymgerman

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NIJ Update

Through the NIJ-funded Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative, the RAND Corporation recently hosted a series of workshops with key stake holders to examine COVID-19’s impact on the criminal justice system. 3 This article highlights findings from the institutional and community corrections workshops, then discusses a recent BJS report on the pandemic’s impact on local jail populations. 4 Institutional corrections responses to COVID-19 RAND’s report on the workshops, Institutional Corrections System’s COVID-19 Response, describes com mon factors that may have helped the virus spread in correctional settings. 5 For example, a number of corrections agencies could not move activities outdoors, lacked ventilation systems that could address airborne viruses, had dense prison popula tions, needed to house individuals in shared spaces, and required frequent exits and entries by staff and indi viduals under custody. Workshop attendees raised specific challenges, such as con ducting enough COVID-19 tests, knowing how to best use test results, and addressing the health needs of incarcerated persons. Because many corrections agencies rely on external health care systems, their ability to serve incarcerated populations was strained by competing community service demands. That challenge was further complicated by the large por tions of the corrections population who were deemed at high risk for severe illness or death from CO VID-19. Those at-risk groups include the elderly, persons with preexisting

should be examined. A few that could substantially benefit all stake holders are: 8 – How can data be collected to better understand the disease burden across demographic groups in correctional facilities? – What have been the pandemic’s mental health effects on incarcerated persons and correctional staff? – How can correctional officers and staff lower their risk of infection? – Can virtual visitation, telehealth, and educational op portunities be expanded? Community corrections responses to COVID-19 The RAND report noted that the pandemic-driven reduction in jail and prison populations placed increased demands on community supervision agencies. Those agen cies were already under stress as they attempted to meet their regular obligations, such as responding to the needs of high-risk offenders, sex offenders, and individuals requir ing mental health or substance use treatment. Further complicat ing matters was the severe impact that COVID-19 had on the service agency networks that supply much needed programming to community supervision. Workshop attendees described the many adjustments they made amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, such as finding alternatives to incarcera tion where it was no longer a viable response to supervision violations, reducing face-to-face contact between community supervision of ficers and persons under supervision,

health conditions, and members of minority groups. 6 Facilities also struggled to deliver COVID-19 treat ment and services to persons with mental health and behavioral disor ders. Additionally, corrections staff faced heavy burdens, particularly when they contracted the virus or were required to quarantine, further stressing the staff who remained at work. How did they adapt? To maintain health and safety, corrections agencies had to reduce their incarcerated population and develop strategies for quarantine, such as physical distancing, wear ing masks, and enhancing hygiene practices. Most incarcerated persons had to rely on technology to keep in contact with their families and legal counsel, as facilities denied entry to visitors and all but essential personnel. Things to consider beyond the pandemic Workshop participants encour aged corrections agencies, to the extent feasible, to maintain reduced populations; continue using virtual technologies for visitation, court hearings, and telehealth; allow certain corrections staff to telework; and include correctional facilities in local disaster planning. 7 The crisis brought on by COVID-19 has also provided opportunities to implement and sustain reforms that are gener ally beneficial to corrections. Research and evaluation ques tions for future consideration The workshops also served to generate empirical questions that

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adapting to the inability to conduct drug tests; and finding ways to adopt technology to assist with monitor ing caseloads. During the pandemic, group treatment for mental health and substance use issues was severe ly limited. Fines and fees were often suspended, resulting in constraints on service provider and supervision agency budgets. And the “digital di vide” experienced by persons under supervision, who often cannot access the internet or other technology, was a recurring theme. 9 Already stressed agencies were left to supply those resources, a task made even more difficult by the lack of housing stabil ity during the pandemic. Community corrections agencies struggled to re spond to the heightened demand for services that they were less capable of providing. How did they adjust? To adjust to challenges brought on by COVID-19, community correc tions agencies increased their use of virtual supervision. Greater reliance on technology allowed for more efficient contact between commu nity corrections officers and persons under their supervision. Often the dosage of supervision was reduced and supervision terms were halted for individuals considered low-risk. For mental health and substance abuse treatment, counseling sessions and medication distributions in some jurisdictions were moved outdoors. 10 Promising practices As resources and capabilities allow, community supervision agen cies should consider continuing the use of telework because it provides flexibility to staff and conserves

resources. Virtual supervision mod els and telehealth can also continue to reduce the burden on individuals under supervision. (Hybrid mod els may be most effective to build relationships and reduce burden.) Virtual options also allow for a more “one size fits one” approach in which interactions can be reduced when helpful and resources can be redirected to persons with the great est needs. 11 Virtual options also allow for a more “one size fits one” approach in which interactions can be reduced when helpful and resources can be redirected to persons with the greatest needs. Research and evaluation ques tions raised Research questions that would greatly benefit all stakeholders in clude: 12 – Are virtual models as effec tive as in-person supervision,

counseling, and treatment? – Has the digital divide across different parts of the community corrections system affected the ability to continue operations during the pandemic? If so, in what ways? – How has the reduction in drug testing and electronic supervi sion affected outcomes? – What are the net savings for community supervision agen cies that implement virtual models? – How can changes made in response to the pandemic be distinguished from reforms already taking place? Taken together, these initial observations from the institutional and community corrections work shops offer actionable guidance to agencies navigating the impacts of COVID-19. The impact of COVID-19 on local jail populations Although the pandemic tremen dously stressed the nation’s criminal justice system, it also significantly changed local jail systems. From June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2020, local jails experienced a large, 185,400-person reduction in their confined population, according to the 2021 BJS report on the impact of COVID-19 on local jail populations. 13 In more general terms, COVID-19 led to a 25% drop in persons detained in local jails. In fact, the jail incarceration rate at midyear 2020 (167 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents) was at the lowest level since 1990. Jail systems began to see reduc tions in their inmate populations as

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