The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) recently launched the Corrections Staffing Resource Center, a webpage with information dedicated to helping correctional agencies meet their staffing needs. Part of NIC’s Corrections Staffing Initiative, the resources address three primary trends to meet the challenges of the nation’s correctional facilities: (1) Recruitment, hiring, and retention of qualified staff, (2) Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and (3) Staff wellness. The center links to articles, e-courses, e-books, and NIC training and resources that have been organized to make them more readily available to use.
Emboldened by the “great resignation” strengthened by the COVID-19 pandemic, many highly skilled workers in a variety fields in corrections left their former jobs for new positions. Higher salaries are expected to incentivize some new staff, but not every agency can afford to boost pay, and it’s only one feature of job satisfaction for many candidates.
NIC’s selected resources help agencies focus on attributes of great places to work that go beyond pay. They address the features and benefits that today’s employees are looking for, like improved work conditions, access to training, good communication, and quality of management and leadership.
In the future, additional resources will include collaborations with hiring professionals, both in the corrections field and private sector, to offer hiring managers the most up-to-date resources to make informed staffing decisions.
