Restrictive Housing: Change Strategies for Success in Prisons

Program Overview

Participants meet virtually once a week for approximately two hours over the course of five weeks. Between sessions, teams will work on assignments specific to their agency. The curriculum content and intersession assignments build towards a presentation that proposes a change or set of changes for their agency to consider prioritizing, and articulates why the recommendations are being made and the expected benefits.

Audience

Each agency should select a team of 3 to 5 people in positions such as (Each individual needs to submit an application):

1. Agency/Facility Leadership (e.g., Director of Operations, Warden, Superintendent)
2. Programs/Security/Classification (e.g., Chief of Programs, Chief of Security, Classification Administrator)
3. Mental Health Director/Administrator/Supervisor

The key is to send a team knowledgeable of your restrictive housing policies, practices, and population and that has influence over policy change in your department.

Participating teams will have an opportunity to explore the following core topics:

Practice assessing your agency's readiness for change, learn strategies to prevent placement in restrictive housing and reduce length of stay, and learn approaches to modify behavior. 

The program offers participants an opportunity to increase their knowledge about Restrictive Housing and share best and promising practices with peers. To maximize the learning opportunities from this program, participants will be asked to review the DOJ Guiding Principles and watch two videos prior to the training, and complete intersession work related to the core topics. There are breakout group activities integrated throughout the program that serve as opportunities for the participants to demonstrate an understanding of the material, engage with counterparts from other agencies, and facilitate the peer learning process.

Participants should come prepared for productive and interactive sessions as they work with their colleagues and counterparts to move their agency forward in the management of restrictive housing populations.

Participating agencies are committing to:

• Establishing a three to five-person team for their agency.
• Attending five two-hour virtual training sessions delivered over the course of five weeks.
• Completing the intersession assignments, including the final presentation in week five.

Technology Requirements

The training will be delivered virtually in real-time on the Webex training platform. Each participant/team member is required to use a dedicated computer with webcam capacity free from noise and distractions for all training sessions. Additionally, it is recommended that participants have Google Chrome and Firefox browsers downloaded and available for use.

If you would like to send a team but do not have the personnel available that fit the positions as listed or there are questions about team composition, please contact:

Scott Richards, National Programs Advisor
Prisons Division
National Institute of Corrections
Email: s1richards@bop.gov