The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. While spending on incarceration continues to increase, funding for education at every level—from Head Start to colleges and universities—continues to be cut each year. States now spend four times more per capita to incarcerate than to educate. Change must occur. Here’s how states could save money by prioritizing spending on education over incarceration.
Learning how to manage stress is critical for corrections officers who work in highly volatile and dangerous environments. High levels of stress can adversely impact an officer’s professional performance and personal life, therefore, it’s important for officers to learn what is causing their stress and healthy strategies to properly manage it.
Throughout my 20-year career in corrections, I learned about the various causes of and responses to prisoner suicides, but very little (if any) attention was paid to the issue of correctional officer suicides. However, research finds that corrections officers have a suicide rate that is twice as high as the rate of police officers and the general population. Agencies must equip their EAPs to better address mental health and trauma as well as educate officers (and their families!) about indicators of suicide in officers.
By Dr. Michael Pittaro
Those who have worked or are currently working in corrections agree that job satisfaction and morale in corrections is, and always has been, low in comparison to other criminal justice professions. Learn why corrections leaders must work to shift leadership practices from punitive-style correctional leadership practices to transformational, coaching, and mentoring leadership practices.
By Leischen Stelter
Human trafficking has gained attention in recent years, but it remains a topic that more law enforcement officers need to fully understand.
By Michael Pittaro, assistant professor, criminal justice at American Military University Prisons are, in many respects, a microcosm of…
By Leischen Stelter It is no secret that inmates with mental health issues are a strain on the correctional…
By Leischen Stelter Working in corrections is a tough job where an officer’s safety often depends on his or…
By Robert Stallworth, American Military University Recently, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) released new instruments, unlike a…