This book should be required reading for EVERYONE who works in a correctional setting, and we mean EVERYONE, including staff who work in prisons, jails, probation, parole, and other community-based settings.
The title, Crossing That Line: Boundary Violations between Corrections Staff and Inmates says it all about the intent of the book. The material aims to highlight the issue of professional boundary violations, exploring their potential causes, the harm they inflict on individuals and workplace culture, and strategies for preventing these violations and their negative consequences.
The author, Susan Jones, PhD, draws on her extensive experience in corrections—having spent 31 years in the field and retiring as a warden—to explore this topic. Her PhD dissertation serves as a foundation for the book, which includes accessible scholarly research and thoughtful discussions on policy, correctional practices, and culture.
The book is divided into three sections and features a collection of scenarios highlighting boundary violations between corrections staff and inmates.
Section I, titled “What Is the Problem?”, covers topics like policy, laws, the corrections culture, PREA, boundary theory, and the author’s model of boundary violations.
Section II, titled “Agency Response to this Issue,” discusses policy, training, corrective actions, disciplinary measures, criminal repercussions, and inmate education regarding the issue.
Section III, titled “So, What Should Be Done?”, focuses on policy content, training materials, cultural change, staff conduct, and provides a comprehensive training outline that agencies can utilize to create effective staff training on the topic.
More than half of the book is comprised of engaging scenarios that even corrections employees who do not enjoy reading educational text would benefit greatly from reading. These stories read easily and provide realistic scenarios that can aid participants to more fully understand the many different facets of boundary violations. Written in the first person, the scenarios allow readers to follow the narrator’s thoughts and emotions. They are raw, gripping, shocking, and often tragic, showcasing various types of boundary violations between corrections staff and inmates. These examples vividly demonstrate how easily staff can slide down the “slippery slope” and the many different ways this can occur.
We strongly recommend you get your own copy and study it closely. Mark it up. Share it with your colleagues. Purchasing this book is a worthwhile investment and applying the tools will be a true offensive strategy in the corrections setting.
You can get your copy on Amazon.
