The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) was privileged to present multiple workshops at the American Probation and Parole Association’s (APPA) Winter Institute 2025. The event was very well attended with over 1,800 participants and over 50 participants at each NIC workshop.
NIC workshops included the following:
- Transforming Community Supervision: Leadership, Learning and Lasting Impact: This workshop gave participants an overview of the Community Supervision Leadership Learning Lab. The lab is a cross-management 9-month leadership learning experience that helps leaders grow in their current position and get up-to-date material needed to effectively implement and sustain evidence-based interventions.
- Reimagine Your Role as a Community Supervision Professional: This workshop gave participants an overview of the resources contained on NIC's webpage on "Microskills for Community Supervision Professionals" and included demonstration of the micro skills videos and how to use the accompanying guidebook as an educational training resource. The microskills help community supervision staff deliver effective interventions to support behavior change.
- Discussion with Mid-Level Managers in Community Corrections: This interactive session was held to identify approaches to support mid-level managers as they strive to ensure healthy organizations with healthy employees, while also attending to their own wellness. Participants provided thoughtful input in the areas of mid-level manager needs, and training desires, and they shared strategies that their agencies have enacted to support workplace wellbeing.
- Implementing Dosage Probation: Unlock the Power of NIC’s New Toolkit: This workshop unveiled the Dosage Probation Toolkit, a guide to implementing NIC’s innovative dosage probation model with minimal to no technical assistance. It is built on decades of research and insights from implementing the model in five jurisdictions nationwide.
- Redefining the Pretrial Paradigm: A New Model of Success-Based Pretrial Supervision: This interactive session highlighted new research from NIC’s recent pretrial publications.
- Correctional Communications Administrator (CCA) Workshop: The CCA course was developed in response to an observed need to provide more formalized training to develop, support, enhance, and expand the role of the CCA. The new CCA curriculum was designed to align communications training between community corrections, jail, and prison communicators to expand the knowledge and skill base available to those in the role.
- Put me in Coach! I'm Ready to Play: A Practical Approach to Building and Training a Coaching Framework for Your Organization: This workshop introduced NIC’s Learning and Performance Coach training, a 36-hour hybrid training focused on contemporary learning and performance knowledge and skills used to prepare and deliver coaching programs.
The Winter Institute afforded NIC staff with the opportunity both to provide training and to hear directly from practitioners in the field about their current challenges and successes. This type of interaction is key in NIC continuing to provide timely and relevant responses to the needs of community supervision professionals.
