Corrections_Today_Winter_2025-2026_Vol.87_No.4

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

in collaboration with the American Jail Association (AJA). “I am proud to say that our institute trains thousands of correc tions professionals each year,” said Christie Haney, executive director of CMIT. “Over the past 30-plus years, we have been fortunate to build strong relationships with cor rectional agencies both nationally and internationally.” The college is in the preliminary stages of working with state and na tional leaders on drafting a proposal to create concentrations within its Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree in Criminal Justice program, utilizing a competency based education (CBE) framework. CBE programs award credit for mastering real-world skills and knowledge, offering a flexible, faster path to completing a degree. As part of this exploratory work, nearly 2,500 survey responses have been collected from working profession als in the field, in addition to focus group interviews with correctional professionals from across 10 states to help identify the key compe tencies needed for success in the correctional field. Through this comprehensive research, top universal competen cies have been identified as essential for correctional professionals: demonstrating ethics and profes sional conduct, communicating and building interpersonal relation ships, applying cognitive abilities, practicing cultural competency and managing behavioral health. This emerging initiative seeks to address a long-standing gap that has challenged the corrections field for decades. Traditionally, criminal

justice education has operated in silos, with academic institutions developing curriculum in isolation from the day-to-day realities of cor rectional practice. SHSU-COCJ’s competency-based approach aims to change this dynamic by ensuring that educational content directly aligns with the skills professionals require on the job. An innovative approach A significant milestone in this col laborative effort was the partnership with the American Correctional As sociation (ACA). The college worked closely with ACA Professional Development Director Valorie Sand ers, who co-facilitated a focus group session at ACA’s annual conference in Colorado this past August. This session provided valuable insights into the identified core competencies from correctional professionals. ACA and SHSU will continue to collabo rate with focus groups to refine the competencies further. “This partnership represents a transformative opportunity for our field, providing evidence-based guid ance that will inform best practices and elevate professional standards across corrections,” Sanders said. “The work we’re doing together will have a lasting impact on how we prepare and evaluate correctional professionals.” To help guide this initiative, a COCJ Corrections Advisory Board has been formed to help inform the potential development of a CBE program focused on corrections. The board is comprised of repre sentatives from TDCJ, ACA, CMIT, AJA, the American Probation and

Parole Association, and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. At this stage, members are reviewing and validating the emerging competency findings and working with faculty on preliminary curriculum design. The long-term aim is to eventually submit a proposal for university and Texas Higher Education Coordinat ing Board (THECB) consideration that, if approved, could establish a signature CBE program in criminal justice to expand access to higher education and address critical work force needs. “Our vision is to prepare future correctional leaders who can excel in institutional corrections, juvenile justice and adult community cor rections,” said Danielle Boisvert, senior associate dean of SHSU COCJ. “By exploring this innovative competency-based approach, we aim to create a model that aligns higher education with the real-world skills the field demands. While still in de velopment, this initiative represents an important step toward shaping the next generation of professionals and expanding access to workforce relevant education.” To stay updated on this initia tive and learn more about the Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice, visit www.cj center.org and contact cjpathways@ shsu.edu. CT Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice: Since opening its doors in 1965, the Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice continues to fulfill its mission as a center for lifelong learning for students and practitioners in the fields of law enforcement, corrections, victim studies, forensic science and homeland security.

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