Health and Wellness for Corrections Professionals

The corrections profession is a tough business. While the work can be immensely rewarding, individuals entering this profession should be aware of both the tremendous opportunities that exist as well as the risks. Whether working in an institutional or community corrections environment, corrections professionals are faced with a myriad of challenges daily, from the populations we work with, responsibility to peers and leaders, queries from the media and public, and demands from friends and family.

The successful correctional professional takes his or her work seriously, yet, outside of the workplace should have other aspects to their lives that are healthy outlets, providing balance to the demands of the work. Maintaining the safety and security of our staff, justice involved individuals, and the general public is paramount in this work. Also, within the corrections' mission is the responsibility to provide opportunities for justice involved men and women to reduce their risk to reoffend and ultimately to become productive community members. Managing those dual roles require a great deal of skill and commitment, often at the expense of personal well-being. As a profession, we invest signficant resources in offender safety, security and creating opportunities for rehabilitation and habilitation, but pay far less attention and resources to maintaining the health and wellness of correctional professionals.

Correctional staff are the professions' most valuable resource. What steps will we take to hire the best, keep our staff well trained and prepared to carry out their responsibilities? How can we ensure they go home safely at the end of the shift, and return each day, motivated to perform at their very best for this important public safety work?

Below you will find a list of topics and additional resources on health and wellness. Find a topic, click, and there will be a number of items of interest.

A special thanks goes to Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for the photograph.

Topics:

Corrections stress

Division:

Community Services Division

Resource Links:

Suicide in Corrections

Hot Topic: Correctional Officer Life Expectancy

Hot Topic: Do you have information about correctional officer work schedules?

Hot Topic: What can we do after critical incidents to support staff?

Hot Topic: Do you have information on officer safety and survival?

NIC Community: Countering Staff Stress—Why and How

NIC Community: Probation Officers’ Stress and Burnout Associated With Caseload Events

Correctional Officer Safety and Wellness Literature Synthesis

Crisis, Stress, and Human Resilience: An International Journal

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Resources Guide

The following are a list of "top-shelf" resources that have been hand-picked by our library team around this topic. If you would like additional research assistance on this topic, please contact our help desk. They have access to specialized databases and thousands of resources you won't find online. Click on a heading below to browse resources in that section.

1. General

Mission Critical: Correctional Employee Health and Wellness

In recent years there has been a notable increase in research on the ways that correctional occupational stressors can erode the health of correctional employees (Ferdik & Smith, 2017). This increase parallels correctional administrators’ and other stakeholders’ heightened concerns regarding relationships between occupational stressors and employees’ health, performance, and work engagement. These concerns were articulated in a 2017 resolution of the American Correctional Association called the ACA Resolution Supporting Correctional Employee Wellness 2017-1 (www.aca.org). This resolution states that the adverse impact of the job on correctional employees’ wellness is a critical issue that has reached crisis proportions because the occupational risks inherent to the profession increase the health risks for correctional employees. The resolution also posits that the nature of the correctional environment can be a causative factor in the development of high-risk behaviors, such as alcohol abuse. The resolution further adds that traumatic events in the correctional workplace may result in employees succumbing to health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Vicarious Trauma

Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center
Learn more about the impact of vicarious trauma on individuals and on organizations, as well as resources designed to help you identify and address vicarious trauma proactively.

Working Behind the Wall: Mental Health of Correctional-Based Staff

When we think of incarceration, we think about people sentenced to prison. Perhaps we think of those in jail awaiting trial or serving a short sentence. When we think of reentry, the act of person’s returning home from prison, we think about sentenced people coming home. When we think about prison – we think of criminals. We rarely think about persons working in the prisons.

Officer Health and Wellness: Results from the California Correctional Officer Survey (2017)

In just four decades, the size of the U.S. state prison population grew by more than 700 percent. By 2008, the number of incarcerated individuals in the United States hit an all-time high, with 1 in 100 adults in either prison or jail and fully 1 in every 31 American adults under some form of correctional jurisdiction (including incarceration, probation, and parole).

Researchers have noted these patterns and trends with alarm. Yet while expansive studies have been conducted on correctional systems in the United States, most of this work begins and ends with a focus on the incarcerated. Much of the early literature either ignores correctional personnel altogether, or paints an overly simplistic picture. While interest in those who work inside American prisons has begun to grow, we still know surprisingly little about what happens to correctional personnel as a function of spending a career inside the prison system.

Prioritizing Wellness for Corrections Officers (2016)

This two page handout provides statistics on corrections officer wellness and suggestions on what policymakers can do to address it.

Correctional Oasis

A publication of Desert Waters Correctional Outreach.

Running on Empty: Compassion Fatigue in Health Professionals (2007)

Defines compassion fatigue, who it affects, sign & symptoms, contributing factors, what can be done, and how to develop a compassion fatigue prevention toolkit.

A Recovery Bill of Rights for Trauma Survivors

Provides a list of rights for trauma survivors around personal boundaries, personal communication and personal dependency in therapy.

Prison Officers Need Help, But They Won’t Ask for It (2014)

Newsweek, May 2014.

Report on "the mental health of corrections officers, who, according to one study, have rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comparable to military combat veterans."

The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT) (2017)

The VTT includes tools and resources tailored specifically to these fields that provide the knowledge and skills necessary for organizations to address the vicarious trauma needs of their staff.

Mental Health Support: Reducing Stress and Suicide Among Correctional Workers (2013)

"Staff members are a central aspect of a correctional facility, influencing its safety and security. But with the job comes enormous stress. High levels of stress, in turn, may increase rates of burnout, turnover, absenteeism, and even suicide, particularly during times of increasing costs and decreasing budgets. Bonnie-Jean Thurston-Snoha, Ph.D., of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Bruceton Mills, WV, and Louis Ernesto Mora, Ph.D., of Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in West Brentwood, NY, argue that employee stress affects not only the individual but also the functioning and security of correctional facilities. The potential negative impact of stress on both employees and facilities underlies the need to understand its origins and implement programs designed to augment correctional workers’ health. The researchers recently summarized factors that influence stress, connections between stress and suicide, staff support programs, and how research may be used to prevent suicide among corrections workers."

Corrections Stress: Peaks and Valleys

Staff is the life blood of any agency and its most valuable resource. Their wellness is paramount to organizational health and mission effectiveness. What can individuals and organizations do to identify issues commonly associated with corrections stress and cultivate a climate of staff resilience and agency health, stability and excellence?

During this broadcast, we will: Acknowledge the effects and consequences of corrections stress on staff and the organization; Identify commonly referenced terminology that informs the discussion of corrections stress; Explore the context and continuum of stress within the corrections profession; Discuss research and knowledge focusing on corrections stress that effects the individual and organizational culture; Present proactive strategies to identify and address cumulative effects and consequences of corrections stress; Describe individual and organizational strategies to build and maintain a healthy workforce; Discuss proactive tools and resources for both individuals and organizations; [and] Provide individual and organizational resources to promote and support a healthy workforce.

This broadcast will answer the following questions: Why is corrections stress an issue we need to address? What are characteristics of corrections stress? What does it look and sound like? What are distinguishing features of corrections stress within institutional and community settings? How do you build awareness of this issue for yourself and your organization? How do you address the problems and effects associated with corrections stress? What are strategies to deal with stressors? How can leadership introduce this issue within the agency? Who needs to be at the table to discuss it? What resources are available to you and your organization to address this issue? Are you taking advantage of them? What are tools and strategies for engaging and connecting directly with your community stakeholders? What positive steps can you take to make a difference personally and within your organization regarding corrections stress?"

Stress and Corrections: Addressing the Safety and Well-Being of Correctional Officers

"Pubmed is an Internet search engine used to access millions of articles in biomedical and life science literature … only 23 articles are identified when searching “correctional officers (COs) and health.” This article is a snapshot of ongoing work and a growing national consortium of individuals interested in advancing the well-being of Cos" (p. 1). Sections cover : hazards of corrections work; stress is hazardous to your heart; ways to improve well-being; first National Symposium on Corrections Worker Health; and conclusion. "The review of CO stressors concluded that, while there are local efforts and recommended best practices, there are no proven effective safety and health programs for COs, and more studies are needed" (p. 4).

Hazmat Suit for the Soul

This three part series addresses the issue of corrections fatigue and how corrections staff can deal with it by developing "hazmat suits for their souls". A hazmat suit for the soul allows you to respond to the "hazardous materials" of daily stress and dangerous incidents during work and to "decontaminate" emotionally afterwards. Part One explains "complex trauma", how it can result in psychological symptoms, diagnostic psychiatric disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adverse workplace performance, costs, and neurobiological changes. Part Two compares "negative resilience" and true resilience. It explains the need for corrections staff to seek "solid and enduring resilience is of primary importance, as literally lives may depend on it". Part Three explains how corrections staff can develop effective hazmat suits for the soul using prevention or intervention approaches. This part also describes four "categories of behavior (aka factors)" that can increase resilience in corrections staff. The factors are supportive staff relationship effects; self-care health maintenance efforts; confident/perseverant frame of mind; and controlled/logical problem-solving. NOTE: This set of articles was previously published in 2011, and have been updated and reprinted.

Minimize Compassion Fatigue, Avoid Burnout and Reignite Your Passion

This is an excellent introduction to compassion fatigue (CF) (aka corrections fatigue) experienced by correctional health care staff. "While there is some literature on CF and burnout among correctional officers, there is scant information on how these phenomena affect correctional health care staff. This article discusses ways that CF may adversely impact the well-being of qualified mental health professionals who work in jail and prison settings. When left untreated, CF may result in serious and detrimental personal costs to the individual and organization. These costs can be mitigated by positive self-care, which also will be addressed in this article" (p. 10). Sections of this article cover: what compassion fatigue is; the role of trauma; why we neglect ourselves; the importance of prevention; compassion satisfaction—the flip side of CF; calendar it—planning ahead for self-care; organizational considerations; and taking care of yourself.

Occupational Stressors in Corrections Work Annotated Bibliography

"Corrections work of all disciplines, whether in institutional or in community-based settings, has been recognized as being exceptionally stressful. Traditionally, this has been regarded as a consequence of staff’s exposure to multiple organizational stressors and also operational stressors. Examples of organizational stressors are role problems, demanding interactions with other staff or justice-involved individuals, and low organizational support. Examples of operational stressors are shift work, high workloads, and mandatory overtime. The effects of these types of stressors have also been thought to result in “burnout.” "Recently, a more insidious source of occupational stress has been recognized in the corrections profession—that of exposure to potentially traumatic events and material. Such exposure can be direct (first hand), such as while responding in person to incidents of violence, injury or death, or being assaulted on the job. Traumatic exposure can also be indirect (second hand), such as while hearing about or viewing videos of critical incidents or reading presentencing investigation reports. "This annotated bibliography was developed in an effort to provide current and useful information to corrections professionals regarding possible effects of traumatic and other high-stress exposure on staff health and wellness. In addition to literature on traumatic stress in corrections, research on organizational stress, operational stress and burnout in corrections is included. The reason for this is that exposure to traumatic stress frequently co-occurs with operational and organizational stressors, and contributes to the overall outcome of traumatization and burnout. Non-corrections literature is referenced on the subject of psychological trauma and resilience in the general population and in other high-risk occupations to provide a context for and meaningful comparisons with the corrections-related findings" (p. x). Seventy-seven (77) citations are organized into the following sections: Occupational Traumatic Exposure of Corrections Professionals; Depression in Corrections Professionals; Corrections Officer Suicide; Health Issues of Corrections Professionals; Operational Stress, Organizational Stress, and Burnout in Corrections Professionals; Traumatic Stress and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; Traumatic Stress and PTSD in High-trauma Occupations; Secondary Traumatic Stress/Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma; Burnout; and Resilience.

Trauma Annotated Bibliography

"This bibliography attempts to offer a compilation of information on trauma-informed care by reviewing general information about trauma as well as focusing on the criminal justice system and corrections (women, adults, and younger people), peer support, and screening/assessment for trauma. In addition, definitions of many of these tools are provided" (p. 3). Eighty-four resources are organized into the following areas: trauma-informed care in general; trauma-informed care in the criminal justice system and in corrections; trauma-informed care for youth in the criminal justice system; peer-to-peer trauma-informed care; trauma; gender neutral screenings and assessments; and trauma and/or gender informed screenings and assessments.

Occupational Stressors in Corrections Organizations: Types, Effects and Solutions

"The primary goal of corrections work is the safe and secure management and rehabilitation of justice-involved individuals, whether in locked facilities or within community supervision programs. Pursuit of this goal comes with demanding requirements such as the necessity of staff to maintain constant heightened vigilance while they work and also adhere to strict security protocols. In addition, corrections staff must perform their duties within harsh physical environments and with repeated exposure to violence, injury, and death events. Data supports a health and functioning toll of corrections work that must be not only endured but overcome if corrections staff are to perform optimally over time and if staff are to develop a sense of job-related success, pride, meaning, and professional fulfillment. Meeting and overcoming the occupation-specific challenges of corrections work will, by necessity, require an accurate and specific understanding of the converging forces impinging on staff’s health and functioning, how these manifest, and how they can be deterred. This paper presents an evidence-supported model and framework for the comprehensive understanding of occupational threats to corrections workplace health and functioning as well as a data-driven and evidence-based strategy for addressing them" (p. 1). Sections of this paper include: types of stressors in corrections environments; direct and indirect traumatic exposure; use of varying terminology in the literature regarding traumatic exposure; types of corrections fatigue components; interacting components; a six-stage model for addressing corrections fatigue; and summary.

Proceedings of the Large Jail Network Meeting Aurora, Colorado, March 23 – 25, 2014

Sections of these proceedings are: about this meeting; meeting highlights; "I.L.P.: Intelligence-Led Policing in a Detention Environment" by Ed Beckman; "Segregation of High Risk Medical and Mentally Ill Inmates": "Part 1. Segregation of High Risk Medical and Mentally Ill Inmates" by Herbert L. Bensen", and "Part 2. Successful Practices in Preventing Inmate Suicide" by Jack Herron; "Staff Misconduct" by Wendell France; "Crisis Intervention Teams" by Shayne Grannum; "Counterfeiting and Jails: The National IPR Coordination Center" by Tony Ruocco; "Staff Wellness: Managing/Implementing Organizational Change": "Part 1. Organizational Culture, Change, & Connection: Resistance to Change" by Michael W. Frost", "Part 2. Corrections Fatigue" by Grannum, and "Part 3. Staff Wellness: What Is Our Responsibility as Administrators?" by Elias Diggins; Open Forum; professional association updates; and future meeting topics. An appendix provides "Index of Past LJN Meeting Topics".

2. Sources of Corrections Stress

The Mental Health of Community Correctional Officers: Supervising Persons with Serious Mental Illness

Few studies have investigated factors that contribute to the mental health of probation and parole officers (PPOs). Addressing the needs of supervises with serious mental illness (SMI) can create unique challenges for PPOs, which in turn may increase job-related stress and impact PPOs’ mental health. Using statewide survey data from 795 PPOs, we examine whether the number of supervises with SMI on an officer’s caseload is associated with depressive symptoms reported by PPOs and whether this relationship is mediated by work stress. In addition, we examine the mediating effects of role conflict and overload in the relationship between the number of persons with SMI on an officer’s caseload and work stress. Findings reveal that PPOs supervising more people with SMI report significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms and this relationship is mediated by work stress. Additionally, the association between the number of supervisees with SMI on an officer’s caseload and work stress is completely explained away by role conflict and role overload.These findings highlight the mental health significance for parole and probation practitioners working with persons with SMI.

New Study: PTSD Symptoms At War-zone Level Among Correctional Staff (2018)

This article summarizes the findings of a recent study, "Prison Employment and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Risk and Protective Factors". The study concludes that "Correctional employees experience some of the highest rates of mental illness, sleep disorders and physical health issues of all U.S. workers."

The Unique Sexual Harassment Problem Female Prison Workers Face (2017)

When women report abuse from the men in their custody.

The sexual harassment began in 1994, Paula Purdy says, shortly after she started work as a corrections officer at the Denver County Jail. Colleagues made demeaning comments about her body. One male captain made her so uncomfortable she avoided him. But the worst abuse came from inmates, who would make sexual remarks and masturbate at her as she did rounds in their housing areas. Purdy says she reported the behavior to her bosses, but there were few consequences. “I would get emotional at work several times a day,” she said.

Over the years, the harassment by male prisoners grew more intense, and Purdy says she became reluctant to do everyday things like grocery shop, afraid she’d encounter one of the men on the outside. As a single mother, she felt trapped in her job. “It’s not like you can up and quit,” she said. Eventually, she decided she’d had enough. In 2015, she retired early at age 55, even though it meant taking a reduced pension.

The Rise and Fall of Colorado’s Supermax - Part 3 (2017)

The following is the conclusion of a three part series.

Colorado is not alone in their treatment of mentally ill individuals. The sad fact of the matter is that the biggest mental health facilities in this country are jails (Slate, 2008). When this country deinstitutionalized the mental health system in the late 50’s and then failed to adequately fund community systems, large numbers of mentally ill people ended up in prison. This was a foreseeable outcome of the political actions taken with regard to mental health care. The only surprising thing about this chain of events is that some have the nerve to act surprised by the outcome.

The Rise and Fall of Colorado’s Supermax - Part 2 (2017)

The following is Part 2 in a three part series.

As the Colorado system continued to grow, designs were completed for many additional facilities, including yet another supermax facility: CSP II. The CSP II facility was designed to be a replication of the first CSP; however, the funding plan for this prison was non-traditional. This second supermax was expected to be funded through a lease purchase agreement and this new type of funding was challenged in the courts. It took three years for the court system to decide that the funding plan was legal and by then (2007) the cost of construction had increased so that modifications had to be made to the design of CSP II These modifications removed all programming areas and added the latest technology in the inmate cells. This technology allowed for communication with employees through a computer monitor and allowed for video visitation with friends and family. With the new technology, the number of reasons that an inmate would need to be removed from his cell was cut by half. The computer system dramatically increased the safety of all involved, but it also decreased the amount of human contact the inmate had during his incarceration at CSP II. The changes in the design even removed the speaker ports on individual cell doors so that all communication had to come through the speaker system of the computer system. The evolution of supermax was taken to a whole new level.

The Rise and Fall of Colorado’s Supermax - Part 1 (2017)

The following is Part 1 in a three part series.

The current controversy surrounding the use of supermax prisons and solitary confinement has led to many individuals questioning how we got to the point that so many jurisdictions built and then abandoned 23 hour lockdown facilities. Specifically, the citizens of Colorado have questioned how a second supermax facility was built, opened, and now this 200 million dollar facility sits dormant. These types of facilities did not spring up out of nowhere, instead, they are a direct result of the increase in violence within the nation’s overcrowded prisons over the past 20 years (Haney, 2008). As the number of people sent to prison increased, these people were stuffed into a system that was not prepared for them, nor were these systems nimble enough to expand quickly. As a result, the corrections systems were pushed beyond capacity. Most jurisdictions reacted by double bunking virtually all beds, modifying program spaces into housing areas, and building new prisons. This rush to accommodate more inmates also necessitated the recruitment, hiring, and training of additional employees. To say these systems were under stress and operating from a reactionary mode would be an understatement. The stress upon the system was evident to the employees and inmates and the resulting increase in violence within the correctional facilities was inevitable.

Association Between Distributive and Procedural Justice and Life Satisfaction Among Correctional Staff: Research Note (2011)

Distributive justice and procedural justice, two dimensions of organizational justice, have been found to be important workplace variables in shaping correctional staff job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. It is unclear, however, whether distributive justice and procedural justice are associated with correctional staff life satisfaction. Multivariate analysis of survey data from correctional staff at a state prison found that staff perceptions of both distributive justice and procedural justice had significant positive relationships with a measure of life satisfaction.

Doing “People Work” in the Prison Setting An Examination of the Job Characteristics Model and Correctional Staff Burnout (2012)

Although correctional staff job burnout is costly to all involved, it has not received the empirical attention it deserves. The job characteristics model holds that job characteristics are important in shaping employee outcomes. This study focused on the effects of the job characteristics of supervision consideration, supervision structure, job autonomy, and job variety on the three dimensions of job burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and perceived ineffectiveness at work) among correctional staff. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis of data from 160 staff members at a private prison indicated that job autonomy and job variety had significant negative relationships with emotional exhaustion. Supervision consideration, job autonomy, and job variety all had negative effects on the depersonalization dimension of burnout. Job autonomy and job variety had significant negative effects on perceived ineffectiveness.

Perceived Dangerousness of the Job and WellBeing Among Correctional Officers: The Role of Perceived Stress and Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (FSSB) (2013)

This Oregon DOC study " examined the mediating process of perceived stress on the relationship between perceived dangerousness of the job and the negative employee well-being outcomes of work-family conflict and symptoms of psychological distress, as well as the moderating effects of family supportive supervisor behaviors on this process. As part of a larger study, survey data were collected from 1,370 state correctional officers."

Probation Officers’ Stress and Burnout Associated With Caseload Events (2013)

Corrections and Mental Health article.

Countering Staff Stress—Why and How (2015)

This NIC National Jail Exchange article presents information about the causes and pervasiveness of workplace stress experienced by jail staff.

3. Effects of Corrections Stress

The Impact of Prison Conditions on Staff Well-Being (2010)

Prison conditions have been at the center of long-standing debates among corrections scholars. Interestingly, this debate has focused on inmates alone while paying little attention to the potential impact of prison conditions on staff. Addressing this limitation, the study draws on survey data collected from a stratified random sample of prison staff working at all federal prisons in 2007 to examine the impact of prison conditions on staff well-being (substance use, psychological symptomatology, physical duress, and sick leave use). Mixed-level models show that harsh physical conditions correspond to significant problems for staff on all outcomes measured (individual-level impacts). The data also show that prison-level aggregations of harsher conditions correspond to significant deterioration in staff physical and psychological symptomatology above and beyond individual-level effects.

Surviving the Trenches: The Personal Impact of the Job on Probation Officers (2012)

The purpose of this study was to assess traumatic stress and burnout in probation officers who work with criminal offenders. Adult probation officers from five departments in three states (Arizona, California, and Texas) participated in this study. (Kirsten Lewis, author).

The Correctional Staff Burnout Literature (2015)

Correctional staff job burnout is costly to all involved. As such, it has generated a growing body of research. This study reviewed 53 empirical studies of correctional staff burnout and two review articles published between 1981 and 2014. The majority of studies focused on staff working in a variety of institutional positions, fewer studies focused exclusively on the subgroup of correctional officers, and even fewer focused on a different subgroup. The majority of studies also involved staff at US government-run adult prisons. Most but not all studies utilized Maslach’s Burnout Inventory. Based on this narrative review, significant gaps remain in the research on correctional staff burnout.

From Stress Reaction to Relaxation Response (2017)

This Corrections.com article discusses our physical response to stress. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which involves voluntary behavior, activity is explained as it relates to handling stressful events and responding to relaxation techniques.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being. The ACE Study findings suggest that certain experiences are major risk factors for the leading causes of illness and death as well as poor quality of life in the United States. It is critical to understand how some of the worst health and social problems in our nation can arise as a consequence of adverse childhood experiences. Realizing these connections is likely to improve efforts towards prevention and recovery

Part III - The Prison Library: Promoting Reading & Pro-Social Connection (2011)

Jordet, Judith. corrections.com.

"Reading has a pro-social effect on the reader because the author creates characters to act and react within a social context. When an inmate identifies with a character, he experiences decisions and choices made in a social context and anticipates the consequences for the character. One aspect of criminal thinking is that they often do not sense consequences for their actions because they do not recognize their own social context. This is one reason why I am passionate about promoting reading among inmates. The other reason is to provide an invitation to pro-social bonding with the library."

4. Programs & Program Effectiveness

Role of a US–Norway Exchange in Placing Health and Well-Being at the Center of US Prison Reform (2020)

Living and working conditions in many US correctional facilities are damaging to the health of incarcerated people and correctional staff. In response, experts have called for efforts to improve the health of incarcerated people, and correctional systems have invested in “officer wellness” programs. Some correctional systems outside the United States have taken a different approach to these challenges: developing a correctional culture (defined here as the values, beliefs, and norms of a correctional institution or system) that deliberately puts health, humanity, and rehabilitation at the forefront of correctional practice. We describe the feasibility and early results of Amend, our program adapting practices from one such system, the Norwegian Correctional Service, for implementation in four facilities in one US state correctional system housing residents of all security levels, backgrounds, and needs.

Corrections Staff Well-being Programs–To Implement or Not? (2012)

This article examines issues that correctional agencies might consider when discussing the implementation of programs designed to prevent and remediate Corrections Fatigue and related organizational climate and staff well-being issues.

Cop2Cop

Cop 2 Cop is the first program of its kind in the nation, legislated into law to focus on suicide prevention and mental health support for law enforcement officers. After a series of police suicides from 1996 to 1998, community leaders in New Jersey believed that law enforcement professionals needed a confidential, safe outlet where they could talk to peers who could understand and provide support without judgment. In 1998, the Department of Personnel—mandated by P.L. 1998, c. 149—established a statewide “law enforcement officer crisis intervention services” hotline. In 2000, the Department of Personnel contracted with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), University Behavioral Healthcare (UBHC) to provide crisis intervention services to the law enforcement community. As a result, UMDNJ developed the Cop 2 Cop program, which is the first program of its kind in the nation to focus on suicide prevention and mental health support for law enforcement officers. The program is supported by the Body Armor Replacement Fund.”

The prevention of trauma reactions in police officers: Decreasing reliance on drugs and alcohol (2013)

Australian study - The overall aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a resilience training program designed specifically to help new-recruit police officers mitigate stress reactions and the use of drugs and alcohol.

Oregon Department of Corrections’ Wellness & Resiliency Pilot Program (WRP): Contrasting Pre-Post Survey Measures Between WRP and a Comparison Group (2015)

In the spring of 2013 the Oregon Department of Corrections (henceforth referred to as the 'department') began a collaboration with the Prison Mindfulness Institute to explore the efficacy of mindfulness/ meditation practice to promote wellness and resiliency of staff working in the department?s prisons. The goal of this project was to learn more about how introducing staff to basic mindfulness/ meditation skills might impact staff climate/culture and individual staff?s self-awareness and emotional resiliency.

Improving Correctional Officer Wellness Through a Multifaceted Approach

"Seven staff fatalities including three suicides in just three years (2010-2012). For professionals who operate correction facilities, stress can be a significant issue with fatal consequences. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO) had 45 staff fatalities over the past 30 years. Twenty-four percent of these deaths were suicide. MSO believes the other deaths are tied to stress and wellness related health issues such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure. MSO Sheriff Peter Koutoujian assumed the leadership role at this time and focused on improving correctional officer (CO) wellness and safety … MSO approached the Office of Justice Programs Diagnostic Center for assistance understanding the contributors to CO work-related stressors. MSO’s goal was to identify and alleviate the causes of workplace stress to improve CO wellness and safety and reduce CO suicide through implementation of evidence-based programs and promising practices" (p. 1). This document describes the Center's analysis and recommendations. Sections of this case study include: overview; data-driven programs and practices recommended to address the issue; the Diagnostic Center; the diagnostic process; six factors contributing to the issue; descriptions and details of the recommended evidence-based programs and practices; Diagnostic Center's recommendations; impact and outcome; community's response; and insight gained.

5. Training Materials

The Corrections Profession: Maintaining Safety and Sanity, Part 2

This program is the second of a two-part webinar, and covers the physical and emotional challenges faced by correctional personnel. “The dangers correctional staff encounter on the job are well known to their leaders. A lesser known but possibly more hazardous set of factors involves the cumulative negative side effects of what staff experience through daily interactions with justice-involved individuals and immersion in uniquely challenging workplace conditions. Such side effects can be understood as examples of “Corrections Fatigue.” The webinar will describe a process model developed and modified over several years by DWCO [Desert Waters Correctional Outreach], entitled “From Corrections Fatigue to Fulfillment™.” Once Corrections Fatigue manifests, it can promote toxic adaptations to work demands, consequently undermining job performance, employee morale, health, personal and professional relationships, and employee retention.” Objectives of this webinar are: describe the concept of Corrections Fulfillment; present the basics of a data-driven, evidence-based approach to addressing Corrections Fatigue; and present corrections-specific resources to address Corrections Fatigue and promote Corrections Fulfillment.

The Corrections Profession: Maintaining Safety and Sanity, Part 1

This program is the first of a two-part webinar, and covers the physical and emotional challenges faced by correctional personnel. “The dangers correctional staff encounter on the job are well known to their leaders. A lesser known but possibly more hazardous set of factors involves the cumulative negative side effects of what staff experience through daily interactions with justice-involved individuals and immersion in uniquely challenging workplace conditions. Such side effects can be understood as examples of “Corrections Fatigue.” The webinar will describe a process model developed and modified over several years by DWCO [Desert Waters Correctional Outreach], entitled “From Corrections Fatigue to Fulfillment™.” Once Corrections Fatigue manifests, it can promote toxic adaptations to work demands, consequently undermining job performance, employee morale, health, personal and professional relationships, and employee retention.” Objectives of this webinar are: describe types of occupational stress that may negatively impact the well-being of corrections staff; present the “umbrella” term of Corrections Fatigue, its nature, properties and consequences; and present research evidence that supports a model of Corrections Fatigue and its usefulness in providing interventions regarding increasing staff well-being. This download includes copies of the video, transcript, and presentation slides.

Hitting the Wall: Dealing with Stress in Corrections [Lesson Plan and Participant's Manual]

Issues surrounding stress in a correctional setting, like the effects, sources, and symptoms of stress, burnout, and coping strategies, are covered during this 6.5 hour course. Participants will be able to: define stress and identify the effects of stress; identify the sources of stress; identify the physical and behavioral symptoms of stress; define burnout and identify the stages of burnout; identify positive and negative coping strategies; summarize the key components of “My Pyramid”; recognize how thoughts, feelings, and attitudes lead to predictable patterns of behavior; practice “objective detachment” in observing and describing thoughts, feelings, and attitudes; and practice identifying stress-mitigating responses to work-related situations. Also included is the PowerPoint presentation, video vignettes, and participant handouts.