MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

January 17, 2017

Dear Colleagues,

As my term serving as Director of the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) comes to an end, I wanted to send this message to the thousands of correctional and criminal justice practitioners across America.

During my tenure, our focus at NIC has been to provide leadership, training, and technical assistance to the field of corrections, covering a wide array of topics. For example:

• NIC has contributed to driving down unnecessary incarceration while maintaining public safety in our country. Efforts to enhance correctional and criminal justice practice are effective and are making a difference in the lives of correctional and criminal justice staff as well as justice involved  individuals every day.
• Our staff wellness efforts have drawn necessary attention to the everyday stressors in this profession and provided guidance for improving overall health  of correctional staff.
• We have provided the opportunity to touch tens of thousands of justice involved individuals' lives through our efforts on workforce development  and employment retention, cognitive restructuring, evidence based decision making, and transition from jail or prison to the community just to mention a few.

Other efforts at NIC have focused on particular problems within the correctional arena such as restrictive housing (solitary confinement). NIC provides training to state and local practitioners that enhance staff safety and lessen the likelihood individuals will be released directly from restrictive confinement into our communities. These programs enhance and protect public safety.

NIC has also provided special efforts for specific populations within our criminal justice system, providing better chances of success for those justice involved individuals. Our veterans program has shined a spotlight on how we can better manage and support veterans who have served their country, but later found themselves involved in our justice system. Our LGBTI and gender responsive programs have guided correctional agencies on how to respectfully work with and protect these populations. Further, our guidance and training on pretrial and criminal diversion practices have proven successful in controlling and often reducing jail populations, which is also a very sound fiscal practice.

Overall, our most successful programs involve true collaboration at the local and state levels. When criminal justice stakeholders effectively work with one another, the results are positive  and successful in meeting mutual goals. We are stronger and more effective at enhancing public safety working together than when we stand alone.

It has been the honor of my professional career to serve as the Director of the National Institute  of Corrections, and I thank each member of the criminal justice community for affording me that privilege. I encourage all of you in the field to continue the good work of improving our criminal justice system; what you do is an important service to your country and it matters.

Sincerely,

Jim Cosby
Director
National Institute of Corrections