Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

On February 6, 2024, staff of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) participated in the initial training for Safety Matters: Managing Relationships in Women’s Facilities. CDCR, the National Institute of Corrections, and Bauman Consulting met for several months planning this training event. The event took place at the Central California Women’s Facility.

The second part of the training will take place from April 2nd – April 4th, where CDCR staff will participate in a train-the-trainer event to ensure sustainability within their agency.

The goals of the Safety Matters: Managing Relationships in Women’s Facilities curriculum are to assist corrections leadership and practitioners in building upon foundational training in gender-responsive practice, motivational interviewing skills, and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) knowledge to support safety in women’s facilities.

Group of 30 staff participants after Safety Matters Training

On February 3, 2024, National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Director (A) Holly Busby addressed the Jails, Detention, and Corrections Committee of the National Sheriffs’ Association at their Winter Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Busby expressed her gratitude to the committee for their commitment to fostering safe, secure, and humane environments for staff, residents, clients, visitors, and the public through responsive programs and services.

During her remarks, Busby made several announcements, including the historic achievement of NIC at having reached a milestone in providing 50 years of training, assistance, and information to the field of corrections. She also reiterated NIC’s commitment and involvement in the administration of the U.S. Department of Justice Jail and Justice Support Center and discussed other new NIC initiatives, such as the Critical Incident Response and Assistance Program, and provided statistical information in support of the National Sheriff’s Institute since its move to the FBI academy in October 2022.

In conclusion, Busby announced that the NIC Jails Division hopes to be able to add 4 new staff members in the near future, enabling NIC to do more for the nation’s jails.

Well-lit conference room with 30 people sitting at the table.

As a general rule, overrides on specific questions should occur only when information in the official record contradicts the system-involved person’s stated response to the question. They should not be the result of the interviewer’s perception of the issue in question. Within the interview guide, items which may be overridden are noted on the assessment with an asterisk (*) next to the question number. These are the only items which may be overridden in the scale.

Generally, the WRNA has been validated with adult, system-involved women assigned to institutions, pre‐release, community residential settings, probation, and parole/post-release supervision after having been adjudicated guilty for an offense. The WRNA is not currently validated for use for women on pre-trial status. And although some jurisdictions may decide to use the instrument to inform judicial sentencing decisions, it was not designed specifically for this purpose, nor for determining an “in or out” decision (i.e., incarceration versus no incarceration).

The suite of WRNA instruments are considered fourth-generation validated risk/needs assessments. Three core versions reflect instruments validated for adult women in post-conviction settings: (1) Institutional Intake; (2) Pre-Release; (3) Community/Probation/Post-Release. The WRNA includes the needs and strengths most pertinent to women as identified in multiple validation studies.

Between 1980 and 2019, the number of incarcerated women in the U.S. increased by 700%. When considering the latest available data from 2020, the increase since 1980 reduces to 475% due to COVID-related correctional policy changes. Regardless, women continue to be the fastest growing segment of the criminal justice system (The Sentencing Project, 2022).

References cited:

On Thursday, January 4, 2024, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) co-sponsored the 2024 American Correctional Association (ACA) Education in Corrections Symposium during the annual ACA Winter Conference in National Harbor, MD. It was the first education symposium in ACA’s history and consisted of a full day of guest speakers and paneled discussions focused on enhancing educational opportunities for incarcerated adults.

NIC Director (A) Holly Busby joined ACA Executive Director Robert Green and Bureau of Justice Assistance Director Karhlton Moore in providing remarks. Busby noted and applauded the expansion of educational opportunities now available for many incarcerated adults. U.S Department of Education (DOE) Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona provided the event’s keynote address. A session titled “What Corrections Should Know About Federal Resources for Pell Reinstatement” was hosted by Office of Justice Programs Assistant Attorney General Amy Solomon and DOE Assistant Secretary Amy Loyd.

Symposium sessions covered a wide range of topics, including ones on how to partner with legislators and other decisionmakers to access funding and other resources to support correctional education programs. Presenters of the session titled “How to Educate Your Legislature on Education in Corrections” encouraged attendees to think about looking beyond requests for funding when reaching out for assistance. Technology and equipment needs as well as amendments to laws can serve students and provide benefits to staff. Attendees were also advised to think about what their priorities are before meeting with decision makers. Information should be prepared in advance to provide details about what a program lacks when asked.

Other sessions explored alternatives to education, noting that adults with a large number of high school credits may find it better or faster to graduate via non-General Education Development programs. Technical education and professional certification programs that incorporated emerging technologies, such as virtual reality for automotive technician training, were also highlighted.

American Corrections Conference Education Summit audience photo
Subscribe to