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. 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.
The successful 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 significant 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 staff.
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.
- 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?
- Correctional Officer Safety and Wellness Literature Synthesis
- Crisis, Stress, and Human Resilience: An International Journal
- Exploring the Causes and Consequences of Restrictive Housing in America’s Prisons and Jails (2020)
