Thank you for taking the time to get acquainted with NIC's brand. While we don't rely on marketing buzzwords and jargon to convey our message, we do take great care in presenting our products and projects to the world. We value what people think about us and strive to maintain our reputation. Building strong relationships in the US Corrections field and beyond is of utmost importance to us.
On this page, you'll find guidelines, rules, and useful tips that we hope will assist you in effectively communicating our values, vision, and brand. While it's impossible to anticipate every situation, brand execution, or implementation, this guide will help you refine your approach. Whether you're working with NIC under a cooperative agreement, collaborating with an outside designer, or showcasing NIC at an event or in a publication, we appreciate your efforts in helping us achieve our goals and fulfill our mission.
Before we dig in too deep, you should know that we're inheriting our Digital Style System from the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS). While some things are specifically unique to NIC (Such as our logo, seal, and primary colors, nearly everything else will take direct inspiration from the USWDS Guidelines. The things in this guide sometimes overide the USWDS guidelines in order to better suit the legacy of our brand. If you have questions, we're happy to answer them.
1. Intent of this guide
This style guide serves as a valuable reference for our internal design team, vendors, and other authorized individuals who work with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) brand.
Our primary objective is to achieve a consistent and effective brand presence across all platforms. If we produce a video, publication, or other media, we want to ensure that it is unmistakably identifiable as coming from NIC.
The focus of this guide is to equip you, the creative professional, with the necessary tools and resources to create visually appealing designs that align with the NIC brand. By utilizing these elements and adhering to the guidelines within, you'll be able to create materials that accurately reflect our brand each and every time.
We encourage you to reference this guide frequently, as it is a living document that will evolve over time, just as our brand inevitably will. If you have any questions regarding the content of this guide, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Information Center Team at support@nicic.gov.
Using our Materials
For legal, copyright, or usage questions relating to our brand for published documents, please reach out to Donna Ledbetter, Technical Writer and Editor.
At NIC, we take great pride in maintaining the highest standards for our brand and reputation. While we strive to be flexible in our approach, we also understand the importance of controlling our brand image. As such, we require specific authorization and permission from an NIC staff member to use any of our brand materials, including resources, graphics, or visual elements found within this guide and its accompanying files.
Please note that simply having possession of these materials does not imply permission to use them. Our approval process for brand materials and implementations may vary, so we encourage you to reach out to our Information Center or a Correctional Program Specialist (your usual point of contact) with any questions you may have.
We reserve the right to deny or disapprove any use of our logo, brand visuals, or other brand elements at any time and for any reason. We appreciate your commitment to maintaining the high standards of our brand and look forward to working with you.
2. About the Brand
Our mission is to advance public safety by shaping and enhancing correctional policies and practices through leadership, learning, and innovation."
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is the only federal agency with a legislative mandate (Public Law 93-41 5) to provide specialized services to corrections from a national perspective. NIC is recognized by other federal agencies for its unique role and quality services. Its leadership is evidenced by the numerous partnerships and interagency agreements targeted to provide correctional services and training.
NIC is unique because it provides direct service rather than financial assistance as the primary means of carrying out its mission. It responds directly to needs identified by practitioners working in state and local adult corrections, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, other federal agencies, and the United States Congress. NIC staff provides leadership to influence correctional policies, practices, and operations nationwide in areas of emerging interest and concern to correctional executives and practitioners, as well as public policymakers.
NIC provides practical assistance in planning and implementing improvements at the federal, state and local levels. These efforts contribute to cost efficiency and effectiveness in such areas as planning, design, and operation of new jails, prisons, and community corrections programs, offender workforce development programs, and offender classification and risk assessment.
NIC is acclaimed by the corrections community as a focused, customer-oriented, apolitical, professional agency that continues to make a significant difference. It is credited with raising the standard of performance for corrections agencies nationwide.
History
Chief Justice, Warren E. Burger called for the creation of a "national training academy for corrections" which would:
- Encourage the development of a body of corrections knowledge, coordinate research, and formulate policy recommendations.
- Provide professional training of the highest quality for corrections employees and executives.
- Provide a forum for the exchange of advanced ideas in corrections.
- Bring about long-delayed improvements in the professionalism of the corrections field.
Timeline
1971 (Autumn): Attica Prison Riots
A major riot at New York's Attica prison focused national attention on corrections and the practice of imprisonment in the United States.
1971 (Winter): Attorney General's Conference
In response to public concern and recognizing the problems in corrections facilities and programs at the State and local levels, Attorney General John N. Mitchell convened a National Conference on Corrections in Williamsburg, Virginia. The result is a recommendation for the establishment of a National Training Academy for corrections.
1974: Legislative Results
In 1974, the National Institute of Corrections was created through an act of Congress from the recommendations of the conference in 1971 and a meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee formed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Law Enforcement Assistance Administration in 1972.
1977: BOP Budget Funding Approved to make room for NIC
In 1977, funding was created in the Federal Bureau of Prisons budget for the creation of a new government agency called the National Institute of Corrections.
Goals and Values
NIC Goals
NIC Values
Personality
NIC is a United States Federal Agency. It is nested under the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which is under the Department of Justice. As such, we maintain the same content standards as other government agencies: consider the audience, use plain language and familiar words, and maintain accessibility for all users.
That said, NIC's mission differs from that of its parent agencies. Our goals guide us to connect and educate corrections professionals, which can include more warmth and empathy than other agencies' delivery styles.