This document provides a series of brief descriptions of Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) programs that have the purpose of supporting correctional facilities and programming through funding, training and technical assistance (TTA), and other methods. Each program listed includes a brief scope note and links to relevant websites.
Project SAFE is Safe Alternatives Focused on Engagement. It is aimed at demonstrating how a multi-discipline team (MDT), with various stakeholders, roles and responsibilities can be an active part of the problem solving that contributes towards both jail and community safety.
Using data from the Survey of Sexual Victimization (SSV), this report features substantiated incidents reported by adult correctional authorities for the 3-year aggregate period of 2016–18.
Research and experience tells us that women behave differently than men in a correctional environment. Most notably, woman inmates tend to be more relational. This curriculum will equip staff with the knowledge base and skill set to address relationships in women’s facilities and the unique challenges they present to facility operations, communication, and institutional culture.
The purpose of the Tribal Consultation Policy is to help structure and build meaningful relationships with California Indian Tribes and to establish a clear and concise process through which consultation can take place between CDCR and California Indian Tribes, which is consistent with CDCR’s overall consultation approach to all outside stakeholder groups.
Have you ever struggled to decide whether it is more important to support your people or your agency? On the one hand, you want to do the right thing to take care of those on the frontline, but you’ve also got to make sure that the work gets done. Most supervisors, managers, and executives have encountered this dilemma.
In fact, it’s a commonly mentioned concern in management training classes. In this webinar, Dr. Ed Sherman will discuss the balance between productivity and ensuring that employees have the assistance and resources that are necessary to function effectively. While sometimes considered as being in opposition to one another, these two needs can and should exist in a parallel, complimentary manner to produce the best possible outcomes, as will become evident during this training.
Workplace incivility describes the subtle and obvious behaviors that are generally rude, discourteous, and suggesting of a lack of respect for others. When unchecked, incivility erodes an organization’s culture and adversely impacts the well-being of those who are the targets of uncivil behavior.
Workplace incivility needs to be challenged and talked about openly. Knowing the causes of incivility, its consequences, and how to promote civility in the workplace can help correctional leaders and employees build psychologically safe environments where everyone grows and thrives.
While technology such as better video surveillance, communications, tablets, and kiosks have greatly improved and enhanced the job of correctional officers, one thing has remained constant: We must have enough staff to maintain the posts, walk the tiers and floors, and provide safety and security to everyone who lives, works, and visits a correctional facility. As corrections leaders, we must do what we can not only to hire enough people, but also to help them develop into good corrections professionals. And by doing so, hopefully we can retain them. If we retain good people, it will both improve the department and serve as a legacy.
Recruitment and retention has been one of the toughest challenges in corrections historically because of several factors. The most important reason behind this challenge is the fact that an occupation in corrections involves violence and confrontations with incarcerated individuals. Agency culture and environmental factors are directly related to retention and recruitment. Evaluating facility cultures and being mindful of generational differences are key to understanding shrinking corrections workforces. Attracting new people to the profession is difficult and retaining staff is problematic given the average length of time correctional officers staying employed in corrections ranges from less than one year to five years.33 Despite the challenges the field has and continues to face, it’s clear that corrections administrators are using their historical experiences to explore new ways to hire and keep staff. Taking a holistic approach to the hiring and retention process has resulted in dividends that will hopefully have long-term payoffs. Offering a comprehensive staff wellness program helps to promote healthy correctional institution, increases engagement among employees, sets up a healthier and more productive workforce, attracts candidates by adding appeal to job seekers, promotes healthy correctional institutions, and keeps more experienced individuals in the field.
The Guidelines for Managing Substance Withdrawal in Jails outlines the steps all jails (including detention, holding, and lockup facilities) should take to implement effective withdrawal management.