NIC News & Media Release Archive

On September 2-4, 2026, the National Institute of Corrections and the Justice Management Institute presented training to Virginia’s Community Criminal Justice Boards (CCJB) at the 2.5 day Community Criminal Justice Forum in Charlottesville, Virginia.  The forum brought CCJB teams together to learn practical skills, enhance board operations and develop tools to strengthen their work in their communities.  Nineteen CCJBs serving 58 localities within the state were in attendance.  Also present were leaders from the state of Utah who attended as a peer learning experience.

On the cool summer morning of September 16, 2026, in Washington, DC, the National Institute of Corrections joined the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in their first ever Staff Wellness and Suicide Prevention Awareness Walk. All Central Office staff were invited to participate. BOP Director William Marshall kicked off the event with remarks and then joined staff in an early morning walk. The scenic route included a pass by the famous Senate Fountain just steps from the U.S. Capitol.

In September 2026, National Institute of Corrections (NIC) staff attended the West Virginia Community Corrections conference to present information about NIC programs. NIC Director Patrick Mirandy introduced the four divisions of NIC and highlighted the history of the agency through a video highlighting NIC’s 50-year anniversary. The NIC presentation provided an overview of technical assistance and the various programmatic offerings available across NIC divisions, explaining how NIC works collaboratively with agencies across the justice system.

As reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, jails in the United States share the responsibility of providing custody and support for over 600,000 adults, a group that has seen a 21% increase in the total jail population and a 78% increase in adults over the age of 65. Jails throughout the country are also faced with managing inmates that have increasingly complex health and human service issues.

NIC held the Urban Chiefs Network (UCN) meeting on June 16-18, 2026, in Pittsburgh, PA. The meeting took place at the Moorhead Federal Building and the Allegheny County Adult Probation Offices. NIC Director Patrick Mirandy welcomed the network members and shared his vision for NIC along with agency updates.

Allegheny County Adult Probation hosted the meeting and agency staff presented information on agency initiatives and services. Specifically, presentations included:

Message from the Director of the National Institute of Corrections

As we recognize National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, I extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the dedicated professionals who serve communities across our nation every day.  Parole Services holds a special place in my heart and career as I began my journey in 1994 as a West Virginia Parole Officer.

In July 2026, the National Institute of Corrections sponsored the first official meeting of the Training Administrators Network since 2018. The group met in Aurora, CO, at the National Corrections Academy to address building training capacity in the field of corrections.

This group also identified root causes, existing resources, short-term wins, and long-term actions addressing items related to a recent corrections training needs assessment. Primary concerns identified from the needs assessment included:

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Mental Health Network (MHN) reconvened for its in-person meeting at the National Corrections Academy in Aurora, CO, on June 9-11, 2026.  The MHN comprises directors and chiefs of mental health services with one representative from each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the six largest jail systems.  This year, network members engaged in meaningful, thought-provoking dialogue and shared information and promising practices across systems.

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) concluded the blended learning Thinking for a Change 5.0 - Training for Trainers program on June 4, 2026. This training comprises a series of 12 interactive virtual sessions and a three-and-a-half day in-person advanced practicum to train new T4C trainers to use the newly released Thinking for a Change 5.0 curriculum with new training materials. NIC partnered with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) to host the in-person training portion in Jackson, MS. Corrections professionals from other agencies were allowed to participate.

The Texas Jail Association held its 40th Annual Conference on May 4–8, 2026, in San Marcos, Texas. The event reflected four decades of commitment to advancing detention operations across the state.

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) recently hosted the Executive Leadership for New Wardens training. The training is designed to equip newly appointed wardens with essential leadership skills to confidently apply to their jobs. The program, which took place at the National Corrections Academy (NCA) in Aurora, Colorado, from April 21-24, 2026, welcomed 29 newly appointed wardens from around the country.

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) will soon release the Civility in the Correctional Workplace program package, which contains two exciting new training opportunities: an e-course titled Civility Basics for the Correctional Professional, and a virtual, instructor-led training (VILT) titled Fostering Civility in the Correctional Workplace.