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Correctional professionals do not serve alone. Behind most staff members are families that also experience the stress, sacrifices, and demands of correctional work. In 2024, Desert Waters proposed establishing a National Correctional Family Appreciation Week during the first week of June, designed to parallel and complement Correctional Officer and Employee Appreciation Week in May. This week provides administrators with an important opportunity to intentionally recognize, support, and honor the families of correctional professionals—families whose strength, sacrifice, and encouragement often play a critical role in sustaining employee wellness, resilience, morale, and retention. Consider the following reminders and action steps: Recognize and honor the families who stand behind correctional professionals by intentionally acknowledging their sacrifices, support, and contributions to the profession. • Remember that correctional work does not end at the facility doors by encouraging conversations, policies, and practices that recognize the impact of the profession on the entire family. • Acknowledge the challenges correctional families face by providing support, flexibility, and resources that help them navigate shift work, overtime, missed holidays, safety concerns, [...]

Emotional Intelligence is a process of forming new habits. There is always room to improve your swing. The Foundation of Professional Effectiveness When we use the term Emotional Intelligence (EI), we are referring to a set of skills that can be intentionally learned and strengthened through practice coupled with corrective feedback. Use of these skills has been shown to have clear benefits for supervisory effectiveness, staff wellness, and ultimately retention in high-stress occupational settings such as corrections. Working in a correctional environment requires a complex set of self-regulation and relationship-management skills. These skills cannot be mastered at the Training Academy—if they are taught there at all. Rather, they are built, constructed, and strengthened over time through ongoing training, supervised practice with evaluation, and mentoring. In many cases, these skills can make the difference between life and death, or between retaining valuable staff and losing them. Such skills equip frontline staff with the ability to interact effectively with incarcerated persons from [...]

I am often asked what the return on investment (ROI) is for staff wellness training in corrections. For years, I struggled to answer that question in a way that felt satisfying to the people asking it—or to me. So I defaulted to statistics. I cited what little research existed. I referenced outcomes, pilot results, and participation numbers. The reality was, until fairly recently, the only people researching corrections-specific wellness programming were the same agencies offering the programs being assessed for effectiveness. The data pool was narrow, and I knew it. I also know that during these conversations with administrators at least once I came across as frustrated and defensive. A jail administrator made an offhand comment that I sounded like I was defensively reciting my résumé. At the time, I bristled. But I sat with that feedback for a few months and eventually realized he was absolutely right. I was frustrated—but not with him. I was frustrated that the [...]

This poem reflects what we hear time and again from Correctional Officers across the country. The consistency of these sentiments—often expressed in even more severe terms—should prompt serious reflection on officers’ working conditions and the demands placed upon them. It is a stark signal that current efforts are falling short, and that something different—something more effective—is urgently needed. The situation in many jails and prisons has become untenable. This is not a matter of isolated frustration, but a widespread and deeply rooted strain on the workforce. Correctional staff are not asking for sympathy. They are asking for solutions—for meaningful relief and support that leads to real, tangible change in their daily working lives. Yeah, real shock—no one wants my job. Others joke—I’ve got job security for life. I work among people shaped by histories that would make your skin crawl. I manage people so mentally ill they shouldn’t be here at all. I see what most people never will— [...]

As we observe National Correctional Officer and Staff Appreciation Week this month, it’s worth pausing to reflect on what corrections professionals face every single day. A week of recognition, while meaningful, is not enough. What staff truly need is sustained acknowledgment—paired with concrete, ongoing efforts to improve their working conditions.The morale crisis in corrections—now recognized as a widespread burnout and trauma, “Corrections Fatigue” crisis—has become deeply entrenched. No longer occasional or situational, it is systemic and pervasive, creating work environments that are unsustainable if not addressed.These realities were captured with striking clarity by Lt. Robert Bramblet in his recent guest editorial, The Invisible Crisis: Examining Morale Issues in Florida’s Local Corrections Agencies, published in the Q2 2026 issue of American Jails, a publication of the American Jail Association. In his article, Lt. Bramblet gives voice to the daily strain, the cumulative toll, the contributing factors, and the urgent need for meaningful change. As he writes, “…corrections agencies are struggling with pervasive staff [...]

Q: What are the signs of compassion fatigue in peer support team members — or even in myself? A: This is a very important question, and one that every peer support team should be talking about openly and often. The inescapable fact is that if you do this work long enough, you’ll realize that compassion fatigue is a normal occurrence. Not a failure. Not a weakness. A normal occupational reality of caring for people who are carrying heavy loads. Listening to coworkers vent and process their personal struggles, professional frustrations, and sometimes significant trauma can be a heavy burden to carry — especially if you are naturally empathetic. Many peer supporters are the very people who feel deeply, care deeply, and show up consistently for others. That is a strength. But it also requires intentional maintenance. Because of that, teams need to build support structures and provide awareness training regularly. Compassion fatigue should not be a surprise topic that only [...]

Source Data: Correctional Employee Testimonials & Feedback The following statements were gathered from seasoned correctional staff in response to the question: “How would you describe your experience with a supportive supervisor?” These insights are shared here with their permission. These statements are categorized into five key pillars of supportive leadership: Empowerment and Autonomy Communication and Active Listening Empathy and Personal Connection Professional Development and Accountability Integrity and Team Collaboration Executive Summary The feedback provided below by staff highlights a clear shift away from traditional “command and control” management toward supportive, relationally-based leadership. Employees do not just want a manager; they want—and, in fact, need—a mentor who balances high accountability with deep empathy. Key Findings The Trust Loop: Trust is described as a reciprocal relationship: when a supervisor trusts an employee's expertise, the employee feels confident and empowered to take initiative and grow. Person-Centric Communication: Support is defined by “checking in” rather than “checking up.” Simple gestures, like asking about a family member or remembering a past conversation, are seen as [...]

As we continue our 2026 focus on building a positive corrections culture through leadership, supervisor support, and daily behaviors, I want to formally introduce a concept I originated about 3 years ago: Retention Intelligence. At first glance, some may assume this is simply a rebranded version of emotional intelligence. It is not. Retention Intelligence goes deeper—and in today’s corrections environment, it is anything but a “soft skill.” Our industry is facing unprecedented staffing shortages and turnover rates. Departments are losing millions of dollars to recruitment, overtime, training cycles, and preventable liability. Remaining staff are losing work–life balance. Risk is increasing. The mission of corrections and rehabilitation is compromised. In this climate, Retention Intelligence is not optional. It is operationally critical. Beyond Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence matters. Communication matters. De-escalation matters. Crucial conversations matter. Leadership development is trending across every industry. But here is the uncomfortable truth we all know: The newest, shiniest corporate leadership model cannot simply be dropped into a prison [...]

As we continue our exploration of effective supervision within the correctional environment, we are excited to introduce “Retention Intelligence”—a concept and term originated by Stephanie Rawlings. While this framework builds upon the foundational skill sets of Emotional Intelligence (EI), it encompasses a significantly broader sphere of leadership competencies tailored specifically to the unique demands of correctional work.Two Critical MissionsIt is vital to remember: Correctional Officers serve as the frontline guarantors of both agency safety and humane treatment, yet they remain a chronically under-resourced population. Because of this, supervisors occupy a critical vantage point and carry out a dual mission:Operational Excellence: Maintaining the high standards of safety and humanity required by the agency.Strategic Advocacy: Actively enhancing the well-being of their staff—thereby directly increasing the likelihood of long-term retention and organizational health.Stay tuned for more on this subject!

In 2016 and 2017 Professor Natasha Frost and her colleague, Carlos Monteiro conducted two ground-breaking studies through a National Institute of Justice grant on correctional officer suicide and officer wellbeing at the Massachusetts Department of Correction. Here is a summary of their findings. 1. Suicide Rates Among Correctional Officers Are Significantly Elevated Across the Massachusetts DOC studies (2010–2015), correctional officers died by suicide at rates of approximately 105 per 100,000, 7 to 7.5 times higher than the national U.S. average of ~14 per 100,000, and markedly higher than other first-responder groups, indicating an occupational health crisis. 2. Officer Suicide Is Caused by Multiple Factors and is Driven by Both Personal and Occupational Conditions The research findings emphasize the interaction of personal vulnerabilities (mental health history, relationship strain, financial stressors) with occupational drivers (chronic stress, mandatory overtime, exposure to violence, institutional distrust, and disciplinary pressures). These findings refute the notion of single-cause explanations. 3. Correctional Operational, Organizational and Traumatic Stressors Are Key Contributors Officers reported cumulative [...]