Message from the Director
Correctional Workers Week 2020
In honor of the nation’s correctional workers who are always on the frontlines, the National Institute of Corrections extends its most sincere gratitude. Your commitment and professionalism are needed now more than ever. In difficult times like these, we count on you to help us keep our communities safe and maintain order while continuing to facilitate reentry. Through your daily actions, you change the lives of those in your custody and care. These are significant challenges for which you willingly accept responsibility .
This week we celebrate Correctional Workers Week 2020 – and it is a year unlike any other. More so now than in the past, we acknowledge the unique contribution of your work on the stability of our nation’s health. Some of our colleagues have lost their lives in service to their communities. We pause to remember those heroes today and think of the families, friends, and co-workers they left behind. We also thank the custody staff, program staff, correctional health practitioners, food service workers, librarians, chaplains, and all corrections professionals who continue to work in their absence, because even in the face of adversity--whether working from home or on the unit--your work is important and it must go on.
To us, you have always been “essential.” Even before today, you faced hazardous conditions. Today’s pandemic heightens those risks and makes your job more visible to those in your communities and across the nation. NIC has always valued the important work you do and has championed your efforts. We stand with you, because every day you risk your lives to serve others. Corrections professionals may feel like the unsung heroes of the criminal justice community, but know that your work is important. It is valued. YOU are valued.
On behalf of everyone at NIC, we wish you safety and health.
Sincerely,
Shaina Vanek
Acting Director
National Institute of Corrections