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                                    Hot Topics

      

                    
          
    Hot Topics
Hot Topics came from corrections professionals like you. People who wrote in and had the same questions that had not been answered by the field before. NIC's expert researchers and CPS's put together the best answers based on evidence-based and data-driven information from the field. There are many questions that have been answered, so please use the search function to help you find what you're looking for.
Can't find an answer to your question? Ask a LibrarianSearch in Question Title
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  Where can I find an updated "Directory of Programs Serving Families of Adult Offenders"?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2012-09-07
This directory was funded by the National Institute of Corrections and first published in 1985. NIC continued to publish the directory until 2005. It is now available for download on the website of the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated at Family & Corrections Network.

This revised directory lists programs in the United States and around the world that offer services specifically for children and families of the incarcerated.

View Programs in States Alabama-Missouri

View Programs in States Montana-Wyoming (including Washington, DC)

View Programs offering National services

View Programs outside of the USA

View AZ Department of Corrections Constituent Services

**NRCCFI is the oldest and largest organization in the U.S. focused on children and families of the incarcerated and programs that serve them.**
          Do you have information on the use of volunteers in prisons, jails, and the community?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2014-01-14
This Knowledgebase focuses on the use of volunteers in criminal justice settings. Volunteers can and do provide a variety of services within state and local correctional systems. These include but are not limited to the following:

Providing special instruction in a particular area such as tutoring and conducting classes.
	Assisting staff in daily office activities to free them for more direct work with inmates.
	Organizing or officiating games during recreation and sports related activities.
	Providing assistance to facility's library by collecting books.
	Serving as resource to advise inmates on various topics such as developing a budget or employment preparation.
	Assisting with religious related activities such as worship services or study of scriptures.
	Participating with an organized group already active at facility such as Yokefellow Prison Ministry, Alcoholics Anonymous or Prison Fellowship.
	Providing or coordinating special entertainment events such as singing groups and plays.
	Assisting in locating suitable residence and/or employment plans for an inmate before release.
	Providing transportation to employment or for family to visit facility.
	Serving as a role model by being a sponsor for an eligible inmate and escorting them to approved activities in the community.
	Serving as member of facility's Community Resource Council.
          Do you have information about correctional officer work schedules?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2017-10-05
7 strategies to battle the health effects of shift work**Fox, Harriet, 2017**Correctional Officer Overtime Accrual, Payment, and Work Cycles**Texas Department of Criminal Justice, 2017**28-day work schedule’s days are numbered**Tennessee Department of Corrections, 2017**Overtime Work Hours, Health Behaviors and Health Outcomes for Correctional Officers: An Examination of Moderated Effects**Tubbs, Diana C., 2016**This study investigated whether the effect of healthy behaviors on health and wellness outcomes changed, depending on how much overtime work COs engaged in.Work Cycles and Compensable Hours of Work**Texas Department of Criminal Justice, 2014**Staff Alternative Work Schedule**South Dakota Department of Corrections, 2014**The Department of Corrections (DOC) encourages supervisors to accommodate employees' scheduling requests through an alternative work schedule when possible.The Shift Length Experiment: What We Know about 8-, 10-, and 12-hour Shifts in Policing**Police Foundation, 2014**The Police Foundation experiment was designed to test the impacts of three shift lengths (8-, 10-, and 12-hour) on performance, health, safety, quality of life, sleep, fatigue, alertness, off-duty employment, and overtime among police.Document ID: 02696310-Hour Shifts Offer Cost Savings and Other Benefits to Law Enforcement Agencies**National Institute of Justice, 2012**Sleep Disorders, Work Shifts and Officer Wellness**Pearsall, Beth, 2012**The impact of sleep and work schedules on law enforcement officers' health and safety are reported.Shifts, Extended Work Hours, and Fatigue: An Assessment of Health and Personal Risks for Police Officers**Violanti, John M., 2012**The primary purpose of this investigation was to examine police shift work exposure and the association of such exposure with adverse health outcomes such as disease, stress and depression.The Impact of Shift Length in Policing on performance, Health, Quality of Life, Sleep, Fatigue, and Extra-Duty Employment**Amendola, Karen L., et al., 2011**In this report, we present data on the prevalence of compressed workweeks (CWWs) in American law enforcement in recent years and provide results from the first known comprehensive randomized experiment exploring the effects of shift length (8- vs. 10- vs. 12-hours) on work performance, safety, health, quality of life, sleep, fatigue, off-duty employment, and overtime usage among police officers.
          What can we do about prisoner hunger strikes?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-05-15
Facing the Human Rights Challenge of Prisoners' and Detainees' Hunger Strikes at the Domestic Level: Guidance for Policy-Makers, Government Officials, and Legal Advisors in the Management of Hunger Strikes

**Elkayam-Levy, Cochav, 2015**

This article provides an in-depth analysis and a critical examination of the international human rights norms that govern hunger strike situations and assesses their application in domestic settings.

Inmate Hunger Strike

**South Dakota Department of Corrections Policy, 2015**

Hunger Strike/Health Management

**New Hampshire Department of Corrections, Policy and Procedure Directive, 2014**

Medical Ethics and Practice Challenges of Hunger Strikes in US and Military Prisons

**Committee on Human Rights, The National Academies, 2013**
          Do you have lesson plans on investigations and report writing?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-04-03
Free Writing and Grammar Self-Paced E-courses are Available through the NIC Learning CenterNIC currently offers self-paced e-courses that you can access online any time, any place via the NIC Learning Center. Access is available to corrections professionals whose jobs are categorized as executive management, middle management, first line supervision, offender programming, or training/staff development.Missouri Department of Corrections Institutional Basic Training [Lesson Plans and Participant’s Manuals]**Missouri Department of Correction, 2014**Lesson plans, participant materials, and PowerPoint presentations (if available) are provided for report writing. Request a CopyDocument ID: 029587PREA: Investigating Sexual Abuse in a Confinement Setting Course**National Institute of Corrections, 2013**Welcome to the National Institute of Corrections’ Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Investigating Sexual Abuse in a Confinement Setting Course. The main purpose of this course is to assist agencies in meeting the requirements of Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Section 115.34 “Specialized Training for Investigators”. At the end of this course, you will be able to explain the knowledge, components, and considerations that an investigator must use to perform a successful sexual abuse or sexual harassment investigation consistent with PREA standards.Document ID: 027695Alabama Corrections Academy Basic Training Curriculum**Alabama Department of Corrections, 2013**Lesson plans, participant materials, and PowerPoint presentations (if available) are provided for report writing.Request a CopyDocument ID: 27113Crime Scene Investigator Network**Crime Scene Investigator Network, 2013**This website is a portal to all things related to crime scene investigation (CSI). It presents a wealth of resources that you can use to begin or brush up on your skills in crime-scene investigation. Access is provided to the following topics: crime scene response; evidence collection; crime scene and evidence photography; articles regarding general crime scene investigation, fingerprints, DNA, and packaging evidence; video presentation; colleges and training; how to become a CSI; employment; forum; resources and links; bookstore; and CSI in the news.Document ID: 027007Developing a Policy on the Use of Social Media in Intelligence and Investigative Activities: Guidance and Recommendations**U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of the Deputy Attorney General, 2013**"Social media sites have become useful tools for the public and law enforcement entities, but criminals are also using these sites for wrongful purposes. Social media sites may be used to coordinate a criminal-related flash mob or plan a robbery, or terrorist groups may use social media sites to recruit new members and espouse their criminal intentions. Social media sites are increasingly being used to instigate or conduct criminal activity, and law enforcement personnel should understand the concept and function of these sites, as well as know how social media tools and resources can be used to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and investigate criminal activity. To ensure that information obtained from social media sites for investigative and criminal intelligence-related activity is used lawfully while also ensuring that individuals' and groups' privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are protected, law enforcement agencies should have a social media policy (or include the use of social media sites in other information-related policies). This social media policy should communicate how information from social media sites can be utilized by law enforcement, as well as the differing levels of engagement--such as apparent/overt, discrete, or covert--with subjects when law enforcement personnel access social media sites, in addition to specifying the authorization requirements, if any, associated with each level of engagement. These levels of engagement may range from law enforcement personnel 'viewing' information that is publicly available on social media sites to the creation of an undercover profile to directly interact with an identified criminal subject online. Articulating the agency's levels of engagement and authorization requirements is critical to agency personnel's understanding of how information from social media sites can be used by law enforcement and is a key aspect of a social media policy" (p. 1-2)Document ID: 027166Documenting a Suspect's State of Mind**Dietz, Park, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 2012**With the new requirements for documentation resulting from the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and other state mandates, those correctional officers that investigate violent crimes and allegations of prison rape need to be aware of the procedure explained in this article. These officers “typically obtain as many details as possible from suspects about actions committed during the crime. However, these details do not always include relevant information about a defendant’s mental state, and such omissions may introduce uncertainties that make mental defenses more likely to arise and succeed ... the author offers investigators an interview protocol to assist them in documenting the critical issues regarding a suspect’s state of mind at the time of the offense and the confession [if one is made], thus preparing them for positive battles in the courtroom” (p. 1). The Dietz Mental State Interview Protocol is an essential tool for the investigating officer to use.Document ID: 026909The Ultimate Use of Force Report**Barnhart, Tracy. corrections.com, 2009**The 'Use of Force Documentation Checklist' is the highlight of this article. Other topics discussed include: five reasons for reporting use of force as accurately as possible; how force is evaluated; levels of resistance; and risk management questionsDocument ID: 024291
          Coaching and Mentoring Staff
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2014-08-14
Coaching of staff offers agencies a win-win method for developing their employees. It not only helps individuals reach their potential but also helps the agency improve its productivity and competitiveness. In a rapidly changing world, coaching can also help employees adjust and adapt their skill sets. Coaching is about encouraging, confronting, challenging, questioning, as well as consistently respecting and supporting staff in developing and achieving their goals (from **NIC e-Learning course "Business Coaching: Getting Ready to Coach"**).**NIC e-Learning Courses: Coaching, Mentoring, and Leading Teams**National Institute of Corrections, 2014The National Institute of Corrections offers self-paced e-courses that you can access online any time, any place via the NIC Learning Center. More than 20 courses on coaching, mentoring, and leading teams are offered. Topics covered include building trust and commitment, coaching styles, mentoring fundamentals, improving performance, establishing goals, and more.Access is available to corrections professionals whose jobs are categorized as executive management, middle management, first line supervision, offender programming, or training/staff development through the NIC Learning Center.**Leadership for the 21st Century: A Human Approach**Heaton, Jason; Gene Atherton, 2012"This article will describe our version of the best characteristics of leadership; the characteristics that are need for success in the 21st century. We believe they are basically human characteristics" (p. 1). Topics discussed include: the willingness to suspend belief systems' being receptive to new and creative ideas; **managing and coaching staff** challenges; lifestyle'long term success and contributions; listening; successful leaders bring contagious energy and upbeat attitude to the job; successful leaders are sensitive to the emotional impact of their behavior on others; words are reality successful leaders give definition to reality through the spoken word; leader as mediator; and successful leaders establish performance expectations and parameters.Document ID: 026662Essential Skills for New SupervisorsNational Institute of Corrections, 2011Mobile Edition Making the transition from line staff to supervisor calls for developing new skills and competencies as well as a major shift in mindset from doing one's own work to supervising the work of others. Contents of this comprehensive resource for the new supervisor include: The National Institute of Corrections training program 'Essential Skills for New Supervisors'. This 36-hour DVD group training program focuses on core competencies for supervisors. These competencies include developing personal and professional goals, demonstrating leadership, solving problems, thinking critically, making decisions, managing conflict, **coaching**, counseling, providing discipline, and encouraging staff performance. A 3-hour training program, broadcast September 15, 2010, shows how to use the newly developed DVD series curriculum from the National Institute of Corrections, titled 'Self-Directed Essential Skills for New Supervisors'. This is a training program designed to be taken by one person, with modules played on a computer at a pace set by and directed by them - "self-directed". The DVD series helps fill the gap and focuses on core competencies for supervisors, including developing personal and professional goals, demonstrating leadership, problem solving, critical thinking, decision making, managing conflict, coaching, counseling, providing discipline, and encouraging staff performance. 2 data DVDs.Document ID: 025151Coaching P&P New Staff**Missouri Department of Corrections Inservice Training Probation & Parole Training, 2014**Participants will be trained to effectively deliver On the Job Training (OJT) modules to new P&P staff via Coaching and the 11 step teaching process. PowerPoint, Lesson Plan, Coaching Final. Follow this link to Request a copy from the Information Center.Document ID: 029586**Mentor Handbook, Minnesota Department of Corrections, 2009**Information about effective mentoring a protégé, is provided. This guide is comprised of these chapters: an introduction to mentoring; being a mentor; being a protégé, how to have a successful mentoring relationship; and mentoring resources. Follow this link to Request a copy from the Information Center.Document ID: 023908The following publications are copyrighted. You can purchase your own copy or borrow from your local library.**Coaching Skills for Nonprofit Managers and Leaders: Developing People to Achieve Your Mission****Wilson, Judith; Michelle Gislason, 2010​**The main purpose for this book is 'to provide [one] with useful ways to master key coaching skills and practices that will improve [ones] ability to better lead, manage, develop, and support others' (p. xxx). While it was written for the nonprofit manager/leader, the advice it imparts can be applied to most any organization. Chapters cover: what coaching can bring to ones role; foundational coaching skills; the coaching framework; the coaching mind-set; knowing when to use a coaching approach; coaching in the nonprofit workplace; and what's next developing a coaching culture in your organization.Document ID: 024763**Successful Manager's Handbook: Develop Yourself, Coach Others****Gebelein, Susan H., et al, 2010**This book 'is a library of practical suggestions, ideas, tips, and resources. It's the place to turn to when you're put in charge of something you've never done before, when you want new ideas, or when you want to help one of your people develop' (p. xii). Twenty-eight chapters cover managerial proficiencies and are organized into the four areas of results, people, thought, and self-management (personal). Topics range from meeting customer needs, influencing others, analyzing issues, to establishing trust. Earned Release Time, September 2015.
          Do I need to have a law library in my jail?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2015-07-24
**Question:**
I want to know if I need to have a law library in my jail. What kinds of issues should I consider? What information do I need?

**Answer:**
Like so many issues in corrections, the answer is: it depends. The point is not necessarily having a law library, but rather providing reasonable access to legal materials and the courts.

Nothing below is a recommendation or opinion from NIC. What is provided is information and resources so you can make an informed decision concerning how inmates at your facility can have access to legal materials and the courts - which can include a law library in the jail itself.

If there are prevailing state jail standards or relevant case law in your jurisdiction, you will need to meet those concerning access to legal materials and access to courts. Absent that, you might want to consider the American Correctional Association (ACA) Adult Local Detention Standards as well ACA's Core Jail standards as a basis for your policies. Here are the two relevant standards:

ACA standard 4-ALDF-6A-03 (Accreditation standards)

"Inmates have access to a law library if there is not adequate free legal assistance to assist them with criminal, civil, and administrative legal matters. Inmates have access to legal materials to facilitate the preparation of documents"

ACA Standard 1-Core-6A-03 (Core Jail Standards)

"Inmates have access to legal materials"

You will want to consider what the courts have said. Take a look at the following:

"Jails and the Constitution: An Overview"

NIC publication authored by William Collins

Text from page 68:

"Over the years the Supreme Court decided several access to the courts cases involving inmates. The most important came in 1977, when the Court said that prison administrators have the affirmative duty to provide inmates with assistance or resources to allow them to meaningfully exercise their right of access to the courts, Bounds v. Smith. Assistance could take the form of persons trained in the law (such as lawyers, paralegals, or law students), adequate law libraries, or some combination of these. A 1996 Supreme Court decision dealing with access to the courts reaffirmed the core principle in Bounds, i.e., that the institution has an affirmative duty to provide some form of assistance (libraries or persons trained in the law) sufficient to give inmates the capability of filing non-frivolous lawsuits challenging their sentence or the conditions of their confinement, Lewis v. Casey."

"The principle from Bounds (and now Lewis) has been extended to jails, although application of the principle may be slightly different in the jail context depending in part on how long inmates remain in the jail. The longer an inmate remains in a jail, the more the right of “access to the courts” places the same demands on the jail as it does on the prison"
Document ID: 022570

Here are actual case law summaries:

The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees state inmates the right to "adequate, effective, and meaningful" access to the courts. Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 822, 97 S.Ct. 1491, 1495, 52 L.Ed.2d 72 (1977); Green v. Johnson, 977 F.2d 1383, 1389 (10th Cir.1992). We impose "affirmative obligations" on the states to assure all inmates access to the courts and assistance in the preparation and filing of legal papers. Ramos v. Lamm, 639 F.2d 559, 583 (10th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 1041, 101 S.Ct. 1759, 68 L.Ed.2d 239 (1981). The Supreme Court instructs that states may satisfy this duty "by providing prisoners with adequate law libraries or adequate assistance from persons trained in the law." Bounds, 430 U.S. at 828, 97 S.Ct. at 1498. Although this constitutional obligation does not require states to afford inmates unlimited access to a library, Twyman v. Crisp, 584 F.2d 352, 358 (10th Cir.1978), and there exists no rigid or static formula to assess whether a prison library's resources pass constitutional muster, Johnson v. Moore, 948 F.2d 517, 521 (9th Cir.1991), states must provide inmates with "a reasonably adequate opportunity" to present their legal claims.

In more understandable language:

"The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees state inmates the right to 'adequate, effective, and meaningful' access to the courts." Petrick v. Maynard, 11 F.3d 991, 994 (10th Cir.1993) (quoting Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 822 (1977)).

The guarantee of court access is satisfied "by providing prisoners with adequate law libraries or adequate assistance from persons trained in the law." Bounds, 430 U.S. at 828.

Related resources:
          Is there a general "profile" of prison inmates?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-08-21
The Criminal History of Federal Offenders

**United States Sentencing Commission, 2018**

**Ear Hustle...**

**...**brings you the stories of life inside prison,shared and produced by those living it. The podcast is a partnership between **Earlonne Woods** and **Antwan Williams**, currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, and **Nigel Poor**, a Bay Area artist. (2017)

Prison Inmate Characteristics

**Bureau of Justice Statistics**

Medical Problems of State and Federal Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011-12

**Berzofsky, Marcus, Laura M. Maruschak, and Jennifer Unangst, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), 2015**

Document ID: 029736

Breaking Down Mass Incarceration in the 2010 Census: State-by-State Incarceration Rates by Race/Ethnicity

**Sakala, Leah, Prison Policy Initiative (PPI), 2014**

Quick Facts: Women in the Federal Offender Population

**United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), 2013**

The Changing Racial Dynamics of Women's Incarceration

**Mauer, Marc, The Sentencing Project, 2013**

Document ID: 027085

Trends in U.S. Corrections

**The Sentencing Project, 2021**

Document ID: 027689

Correctional Populations in the United States

**Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), 2017**
          Do you have information on the award of good time or earned time credits in prisons?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-04-23
Frequently Asked Questions: Federal Good Time Credit

**FAMM, 2023**

State Good Time and Earned Time Laws

**National Conference of State Legislatures, 2021**

Good Time and Earned Time Policies for State Prison Inmates (As Established By Law)

**NCSL Criminal Justice Program, 2021**

Proposition 57: Credit Earning for Inmates Frequently Asked Questions

**California Department of Corrections, 2017**

OLR Backgrounder: Inmate Sentence Reduction Methods

**Katherine Dwyer, Carease Gadson, 2017**

Justice Reinvestment Initiative State Assessment Report

**La Vigne, Nancy G., Samuel Bieler, Lindsey Cramer, Helen Ho, Cybele Kotonias, Deborah Mayer, David McClure, Laura Pacifici, Erica Parks, Bryce Peterson, Julie Samuels. Urban Institute, Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, 2014**

"JRI policies improved the use of good time and earned credit and the operation of probation and parole."

Document ID: 027949

Clemency, Parole, Good-Time Credits, and Crowded Prisons: Reconsidering Early Release

**Larkin Jr, Paul J. Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol. 11, No. 1, 2013**

For most of our history, clemency, parole, and good-time credits have offered prisoners an opportunity for early release. Over the last 40 years, however, clemency has fallen into disuse, and many jurisdictions have repealed their parole laws in favor of determinate sentencing. Given our increasingly crowded prisons and expanding correctional budgets, governments are beginning to rethink our approach to punishment. It is unlikely that clemency or parole will come back into fashion any time soon, however, or that severe sentencing laws will quickly disappear. But the federal and state governments have continued to use good-time credits as a means of rewarding inmates for positive, in-prison behavior, and legislators may believe that expanding the current good-time laws is the best solution. That approach is reasonable as a policy matter and sellable as a political matter because prisoners must earn good time credits. We therefore may see legislators seek to address prison overcrowding through an expanded good-time system.

Solving the Good Time Puzzle: Why Following the Rules Should Get You Out of Prison Early

**O'Hear, Michael M., 2011**

“Good-time programs have long been an important part of the American penal landscape. Although good time is traditionally justified by reference to its usefulness in deterring inmate misconduct—credits can be denied or withdrawn as a penalty for violations of prison rules—the article questioned how it could possibly be just to impose additional incarceration based on mere violations of administrative regulations."

Document ID: 027946

**Example Policies:**

Maryland Diminution Credit System, Department of Legislative Services, December 2011

State of Oregon: Department of Corrections: Administration of Earned Time, December 2010

Virginia Department of Corrections, Time Computation

Washington State Department of Corrections, Earned Release Time, September 2015
          Staff/Inmate Ratios in Correctional Facilities
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2012-01-10
The process for determining adequate staffing for a jail facility, and make it defensible, is to conduct a staffing analysis on a facility by facility basis. There are simply too many variables such as physical plant design, level of security, level of programs and activities, state and local standard and statutes, etc. to recommend a specific officer to inmate ratio.
          Do Private Prisons Work?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2012-11-06
A private facility or for-profit prison is a place in which individuals are physically confined or incarcerated by a third party that is contracted by a government agency.

Private Prisons in the United States

**Sentencing Project, 2021**

Impacts of Private Prison Contracting on Inmate Time Served and Recidivism

**Mukherjee, Anita, 2020**

The Relationship Between Individual Characteristics, Quality of Confinement and Recidivism by Offenders Released From Privately and Publicly Managed Residential Community Corrections Facilities

**Hummer, Don, 2018**

U.S. private prison population has declined in recent years

**Geiger, Abigail 2017**

The Economics of Private Prisons

**Megan Mumford, Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, and Ryan Nunn, 2016**

Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Monitoring of Contract Prisons

**Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice, 2016**

The Future of Private Prisons in Arizona Corrections

**Gilroy, Leonard, 2015**

Annual Privatization Report 2014 Criminal Justice and Corrections

**Galik, Lauren, Leonard Gilroy, and Alexander Volokh, 2015**

International Growth Trends in Prison Privatization

**Mason, Cody, The Sentencing Project, 2013**

Document ID: 027538
          State Jail Standards
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2017-10-05
          Religious Practices & Beliefs in Jail and Prison
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2014-08-21
**Religion in Prisons: A 50-State Survey of Prison Chaplains**

**Boddie, Stephanie C. and Cary Funk, 2012**

This report “presents a rare window into religion behind bars. Although chaplains, like all observers, undoubtedly bring their own perspectives and predilections to bear, they also occupy a valuable vantage point as correctional workers who have regular, often positive interactions with inmates and take a strong interest in the role of religion in inmates’ lives” (p. 9). Their prime duties are personally leading worship services and administering religious programming.

Document ID: 026005
          Where can I find recommended/best practices programs for prevention of domestic violence?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-07-31
The Difference Between Surviving and Not Surviving: Public Benefits Programs and Domestic and Sexual Violence Victims' Economic Security

**Goodman,Shaina, 2018**

Preventing Intimate Partner Violence Across the Lifespan: A Technical Package of Programs, Policies, and Practices

**Niolon, Phyllis Holditch, Megan Kearns, Jenny Dills, Kirsten Rambo, Shalon Irving, Theresa L. Armstead, and Leah Gilbert, 2017**

Building the Evidence for Domestic Violence Services & Interventions: Challenges, Areas of Opportunity, and Research Priorities

**Center for Policy Research & National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, 2017**

The DELTA FOCUS Program: Intimate Partner Violence is Preventable

**Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention, 2015**

DELTA FOCUS (Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances, Focusing on Outcomes for Communities United with States) is a five-year cooperative agreement funding 10 state domestic violence coalition grantees to engage in primary prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV).

Practical Implications of Current Domestic Violence Research for Probation Officers and Administrators

**Klein, Andrew R., 2015**

This booklet looks at the recent research on intimate partner violence and analyzes what it reveals that probation officers and administrators should know to do their jobs better in terms of completing PSI for defendants convicted of intimate partner violence, supervising abusers on their caseloads, and dealing with the victims of these abusers on probation and victims who have also ended up on probation caseloads.

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

**National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV)**

"Since 1993 the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) has been a comprehensive source of information for those wanting to educate themselves and help others on the many issues related to domestic violence."

National Network to End Domestic Violence

**National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)**

NNEDV is the leading voice for domestic violence victims and their advocates.

Justice-Involved Women: Understanding Trauma and Violence [Webinar]

**Covington, Stephanie S., National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women (NCDBW), 2014**

Document ID: 029601

Injury Prevention & Control: Division of Violence Prevention: Funded Programs and Initiatives

**Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2014**

"Through its programs and initiatives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Division of Violence Prevention works with national organizations, state health agencies, and other key groups to develop, implement, and promote effective violence prevention and control practices."

Testing the Effects of New York's Domestic Violence Courts: A Statewide Impact Evaluation

**Cissner, Amanda B., Melissa Labriola, and Michael Rempel, Center for Court Innovation, 2013**

"The effectiveness of domestic violence courts to positively impact court processing, case resolutions, and recidivism is examined."

Document ID: 027524

Voice of the Victim: A Perspective Spotlight Issue

**American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), Council of State Governments (CSG), 2012**

"This special issue of Perspectives 'is dedicated to promoting innovative programs, policies and protocols that improve crime victims' rights and services in community corrections'"

Document ID: 027633
          Where can I find programs for incarcerated parents or their families?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-07-15
findhelp.org Community Resource Search Engine**findhelp.org, 2021**Parent-Child Visiting Practices in Prisons and Jails**Cramer, Lindsey, Margaret Goff, Bryce Peterson, Heather Sandstrom, 2017**Mentoring for Children of Incarcerated Parents**National Mentoring Resource Center, 2016**Prison Parenting Programs: Resources for Parenting Instructors in Prisons and Jails**Correction Education Association, 2016**Document ID: 030163Directory of Programs Serving Children & Families of the Incarcerated**The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated, 2015**Promising and Innovative Practices for Children of Incarcerated Parents: Arrest through Pre-Adjudication [Webinar]**National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and Urban Institute, 2015**Document ID: 031308Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents**International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), 2014**Document ID: 028327Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration**Sesame Workshop, 2013**"Provides much-needed bilingual (English/Spanish) multimedia tools for families with young children (ages 3-8) who have an incarcerated parent. These FREE resources include a resource kit with A Guide for Parents and Caregivers, a Children's Storybook, and a new Sesame Street video; an Incarcerated Parent Tip Sheet; and the Sesame Street: Incarceration mobile app for smart phones and tablets."Document ID: 027415Impact of Family-Inclusive Case Management on Reentry Outcomes: Interim Report on the Safer Return Demonstration Evaluation**Fontaine, Jocelyn, Douglas Gilchrist-Scott and Megan Denver. Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2011**
          What is a DACUM?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-08-14
**Question:**

I've been hearing about DACUM in conjunction with training development. What the heck is a DACUM and how does it help me develop a lesson plan or training curriculum?

**Answer:**

A DACUM is a form of job analysis.  When developing a curriculum for correctional employees, one task is to assure that the topic and content is clearly job-relevant. In fact, job-relevancy is a component of legally defensible training in corrections.

DACUM, which stands for Developing a Curriculum, was pioneered at the Ohio State University Center on Education and Training for Employment.It is a means of researching and analyzing a particular job that results in a chart listing the duties, tasks, and related information about the job. That information can be applied in the development of a curriculum (and individual lesson plans) to assure and, in fact, document, that the content is directly relevant to what is required on the job. Given the failure to train liability and the risks inherent in corrections today, developing job-relevant training grounded in job analysis is not just a luxury but a necessity today.

DACUM Process

While there can be some variations in theDACUM process, basically, a panel of incumbents in the job (usually those who perform it well) develop a list of all duties and tasks associated with the job based on consensus. The panel also develops a list of knowledge and skills, tools, equipment, etc. that are essential for success. This all becomes complied in a DACUM chart which is a roadmap for identifying relevant training topics.  Often, since resources are limited and the DACUM chart can be quite extensive, the same panel or a panel of their supervisors (sometimes called a validation panel) will set priorities in terms of how frequently a task is performed and how critical it is to the mission. This can reduced the training burden to a more manageable level in a legitimate manner via the expert panel analysis.

**DACUM Resources**

What is Developing a Curriculum (DACUM)?

Overview of DACUM Job Analysis Process

Correctional Internal Affairs Investigators Job Analysis Investigator DACUM Job Analysis

DRAFT: DACUM Competency Profile for Large County Behavioral Health Director
          Information on Staff-Inmate Boundaries and Inmate Manipulation
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2010-07-16
Recognizing and understanding inmate deception, inmate manipulation, inmate set-ups.
          Do you have information on officer safety and survival?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-06-24
Officer Safety

**CorrectionsOne.com (this tag is continually updated by CorrectionsOne)**

The Officer Safety topic page has the specific mission of keeping COs safe through current & quality information, with tips, columnist commentary, and the latest news updates. From techniques to employ against violent inmates to alerts on growing threats against corrections officers, the Officer Safety topic page is a key resource for COs everywhere.

Be Aware, Be Smart, Be Safe: Correctional Officer Safety

**Cornelius, Gary, 2020**

Everyone who works inside a correctional facility can be seriously injured or killed. That is a fact. Whether it is a minimum-security facility, a halfway house, a local jail or a state or federal prison, as a sworn staff member or a civilian staff member, you enter a building every day that is unlike any other.

Correctional Officer Safety and Use of Safety Equipment in Correctional Facilities

**Thorkildsen, Zoë, Emma Wohl, Lily Robin, James R. “Chip” Coldren, Jr., 2019**

In partnership with the Association of State Correctional Administrators, CNA collaborated with seven facilities to gather information about officer injuries, use of safety equipment, and policies and procedures related to safety and safety equipment.

Correctional Officer Fatalities in Line of Duty During 2005 to 2015: A Survival Analysis

**Liu, Weiwei and Bruce Taylor, 2018**

Using correctional officer data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial (NLEOMF) database, we describe the characteristics of U.S. correctional officers killed in line of duty in the past decade, and explore how the hazard probability changed over the life span and factors related to these changes.

How to survive your first year as a correctional officer

**York, Gray, 2018**

From dealing with hostile co-workers to avoiding manipulative inmates, new correctional officers face many challenges during their first few months on the job.

The prison experience for corrections staff

**Vera Institute, 2018**

The people who work inside prisons are largely responsible for the environment that is created behind the walls. Although corrections staff may not dictate standards and policies, they must interpret them and put them into practice. This takes its own toll. Corrections officers, who work inside these facilities for 40 or more hours per week over the course of 20 or more years are also subject to the restrictive nature of prison and the negative effects that has on mental health.

Correctional Officer Safety and Wellness Literature Synthesis

**Ferdik, Frank Valentine, 2017**

Recent scholarship has suggested that COs work under dangerous conditions that can threaten their general safety and wellness. Following several legislative reforms that started in the 1970s and included “get tough on crime” policies such as mandatory minimum sentences and habitual offender laws (Mackenzie, 2001), correctional institutions experienced dramatic changes in the composition of the inmate population.

Battling Job Stress: Correctional Officers Can Strengthen Their Resilience

**Olson, Althea, and Mike Wasilewki, 2017**

One of the most important factors necessary for good mental health is resilience.

Working in a Prison Environment: How Safe Are the Prison Workers?

**Nwidag, Barisua Ernest, Mark O. Afolabi, and Solomon Joseph Okwendi, 2015**

It is near impossible to work in a stressful environment such as a prison without suffering ill effects. The S C Times reports that prison guards encounter greater hardships than police officers. Problems can include higher levels of heart attack, ulcers and high blood pressure.

The Relationship Between Work-Family Conflict, Correctional Officer Job Stress, and Job Satisfaction

**Armstrong, Gaylene S., Cassandra A. Atkin-Plunk, and Jessica Wells, 2015**

Balancing demands between work and family domains can strain even the most resourceful employee. When the tipping point of conflict between the two is reached, a negative impact on employee well-being can result. Within correctional environments, the psychosocial well-being of officers is critical given the potentially significant impact of having a “bad day on the job.” This study examines work-family conflict as it relates to job stress and job satisfaction within a diverse sample of correctional officers

The Corrections Profession: Maintaining Safety and Sanity, Part 2 [Webinar]

**Spinaris, Caterina, Mike Denhof, and Greg Morton, Desert Waters Correctional Outreach (DWCO), National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Academy, 2014**

Document ID: 027908

The webinar will describe a process model developed and modified over several years by DWCO [Desert Waters Correctional Outreach], entitled “From Corrections Fatigue to FulfillmentTM.” Once Corrections Fatigue manifests, it can promote toxic adaptations to work demands, consequently undermining job performance, employee morale, health, personal and professional relationships, and employee retention.”

Bureau of Prisons: Evaluating the Impact of Protective Equipment Could Help Enhance Officer Safety

**United States Government Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters, 2011**

Document ID: 025034
GAO examined the (1) equipment that BOP and selected state departments of corrections (DOC) provide to protect officers, and the officers' and other correctional practitioners' opinions of this equipment; (2) extent to which BOP has evaluated the effectiveness of this equipment, and factors correctional equipment experts consider important to the acquisition of new equipment; and (3) institutional factors correctional accrediting experts reported as impacting officer safety, and the extent to which BOP has evaluated the effectiveness of the steps it has taken in response.
          What are criminal thinking errors?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2012-12-26
According to Don Andrews and James Bonta (*The Psychology of Criminal Conduct*, 2010), the following are risk factors contributing to an individual's criminal conduct.Major Factors:Antisocial/pro-criminal attitudes and values.Pro-criminal associates and isolation from others who are anti-criminal.Temperamental and personality factors, including pyschopathy, impulsivity, and other cognitive deficits.History of antisocial behavior.Familial factors that include criminality, family psychological and dysfunctional patterns.Low levels of personal education, vocational, or financial achievement and unstable employment.Minor FactorsLower-class origins (assessed by neighborhood conditions and parental achievements).Personal distress (strain, alienation, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, etc.).Other combinations of biological/neuropsychological indicators.Pathological personality traits and criminogenic thinking styles**Zeigler-Hill, Virgil, Jon T. Mandracchia, Eric R. Dahlen, Rachel Shango, and Jennifer K. Vrabel, 2017**Effectiveness of a Self-Administered Intervention for Criminal Thinking: Taking a Chance on Change**Folk, Johanna B., 2016**Construct and Predictive Validity of Criminal Thinking Scales**Taxman, Faye S., Anne Giuranna Rhodes, and Levent Dumenci, 2011**Thinking Errors Defined**Barnhart, Tracy E., 2010**Document ID: 025987
          Do you have descriptions of justice-involved mentoring programs?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-06-25
Mentoring as a Component of Reentry: Practical Considerations from the Field

**Umez, Chidi, Jan Dela Cruz, Maureen Richey, and Katy Albis, 2017**

Vulnerable Youth: Federal Mentoring Programs and Issues

**Fernandes-Alcantara, Adrienne L., 2017**

This report begins with an overview of the purpose of mentoring, including a brief discussion on research of structured mentoring programs.

Final Technical Report: An Evaluation of Advocacy-based Mentoring as a Treatment Intervention for Chronic Delinquency

**Karcher, Michael J., and David A. Johnson, 2016**

The primary goal of the proposed research project was to provide estimates of the effectiveness of youth advocacy in general, and more specifically as delivered through the Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP).

National Mentoring Resource Center

**A program of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)**

Our goal is to improve the quality and effectiveness of youth mentoring across the country through increased use of evidence-based practices and sharing practitioner innovations.

The Mentoring Effect: Young People's Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring

**Bruce, Mary; and John Bridgeland, Civic Enterprises, Hart Research Associates, 2014**

This report includes the results of the first-ever, nationally representative survey of young people's perspectives on mentoring.

Document ID: 028080

T.E.A.M., Teach, Empower, Affirm, Mentor: A Risk Reduction Mentoring Curriculum, Instructor's Manual [Facilitator's Manual]

**Sar, Bibhuti K.; Emma M. Sterrett, and Jenny A. Taylor, University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work, Exploited Children's Help Organization (ECHO), 2014**

This curriculum was modeled in structure and organization after the developmental cross-age mentoring curriculum developed by Michael Karcher, PhD.

Document ID: 028081

Reentry Matters: Strategies and Successes of Second Chance Act Grantees Across the United States

**Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, 2013**

The program snapshots below illustrate the positive impact these reentry initiatives can have by focusing on areas vital to reintegration back into the community, including employment, education, mentoring, and substance abuse and mental health treatment.

Document ID: 027922
          Where can I find information concerning inmate grievance procedures?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2012-08-29
Prison and Jail Grievance Policies

**University of Michigan Law School, 2017**

"This list links to grievance polices for every state prison system, and a number of jails, organized by state. Private prison grievance policies appear at the bottom of the list."

Document ID: 027132

Inmate Grievances

**Massachusetts Department of Correction, 2017**

Inmate Grievance Procedures

**Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, 2017**

Grievance Procedure

**Minnesota Department of Corrections, 2017**

PP 3.100 Inmate Communication and Grievance Procedure

**Wyoming Department of Corrections, 2017**

Inmate Grievance Procedure

**Arizona Department of Corrections, 2016**

A Study of the Department of Correction Inmate Grievance and Request Program

**NYC Board of Correction, 2016**
          Are there examples of Use of Force policies/procedures?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2017-10-05
Guiding Principles on Use of Force

**Police Executive Research Forum**

Use of Force

**Delaware Department of Correction**

Use of Force and Restraints -- Adult

**Minnesota Department of Corrections**

Use of Force

**Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department**
          Where can I find general guidelines for departmental ceremonies and events?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-04-02
Honor Guard

**District of Columbia (DC) Department of Corrections, 2015**

Honor Guard

**Oregon Department of Corrections, 2015**

Ceremonial Honor Guard

**Oklahoma Department of Corrections, 2014**

Honor Guard

**Idaho Department of Correction, Standard Operating Procedure, 2014**

Honor/Color Guard and Memory Guard

**Minnesota Department of Corrections, 2014**

Honor Guard and Dress Uniform

**Alaska Department of Corrections, Policies and Procedures, 2013**

Honor Guard

**Monroe County Sheriff's Office**

The Use and Operation of Honor Guards

**Indiana Department of Corrections, Policy and Administrative Procedures, Manual of Policies and Procedures, 2012**
          What can we do after critical incidents to support staff?
  View the full content of this Hot Topic
   Published: 2013-01-30
Final Report: Independent Review of Security Issues at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center

**Requested by the Governor of the State of Delaware, 2017**

Managing the Response to a Mobile Mass Shooting: A Critical Incident Review of the Kalamazoo, Michigan, Public Safety Response to the February 20, 2016 Mass Shooting Incident

**Police Foundation, 2017**

Critical Incident Stress Managment Services

**Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, 2017**

Emergency Management

**Oregon Department of Corrections, 2017**

Critical Incident Stress Management

**Minnesota Department of Corrections, 2016**

Bringing Calm to Chaos: A Critical Incident Review of the San Bernardino Public Safety Response to the December 2, 2015, Terrorist Shooting Incident at the Inland Regional Center

**Braziel, Rick, Frank Straub, George Watson, and Rod Hoops, 2016**

Critical Incident Review Team Final Report

**Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, 2015**

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