When I first sat down in the From Corrections Fatigue to Fulfillment (CF2F) course, I did not know what to expect. I was a willing participant, but not because I knew what to expect. I had worked out a deal to attend. I would become a CF2F trainer if I could attend the next tactical training. As I sat in class I did not know what Staff Wellness was or what Corrections Fatigue was. After listening and learning I realized many things but most importantly I knew Corrections Fatigue—after all, I’d unknowingly lived with it most of my career.
Upon returning to my institution, I could see that CF2F was taking off in popularity. The same realizations I had were the same happening to the 1400 staff at the institution. Officers, Supervisors, medical staff, and plant ops—all were coming to the realization that the work stressors we endure, regardless of job title or rank, affect us in a negative way. In my department, the training of CF2F was mandatory annually. We taught it for two years and the impact was significant. Staff frequently asked to attend the class earlier because they did not want to wait. Staff would frequently stay after class to talk with trainers about their “fatigue”.
Following implementation, there was anecdotal evidence that CF2F aided in the reduction of violence and uses of force. Now let me caution that, generally speaking, a one-time training does not “fix” anything. When something improves, there is usually more than one factor at play. That was the case here too. My institution had an administration that supported staff and staff wellness. We also had strong buy-in to rehabilitation programs coupled with strong security practices, which increased staff safety. After two years of teaching CF2F, our incidents of violence and use of force went from a high of 500-700 incidents a year to less than 200. Now, I am not naïve to the fact that this was a perfect mix for our institution. We had staff buy-in, administrative buy-in and support, and we had inmate programs which aided in their desire to self-improve.
However, after COVID, our institution went through changes. The administration changed, as they always do. A new warden brought their security focused mindset, which was more of a “Sir, yes Sir” atmosphere than one of staff wellness and support. Also, CF2F was discontinued resulting in no staff wellness courses being offered. We reverted back to the days of old, and our incidents of violence and uses of force began to rise. Within two years, we were climbing back into the 400-500 range again.
I have looked at why this occurred, and again, I do not have hard data—but I do have anecdotal evidence, but more importantly I was living it as well. Staff at my institution had felt valued just by having a course made for them. It wasn’t a reactionary lawsuit-driven training, liability-avoidance training, or a training reiterating policy. CF2F was a training like no other. It taught us what we were going through, put a name to it, and gave us tools to begin to heal and succeed.
I would venture to say that as staff feel better or healthier, their professionalism also increased. To this point, here’s a personal example. For years I was a Use of Force instructor. I saw red and green, black or white—meaning that if policy said I could use force, I would. As I started to find positive coping strategies and began to heal from my own Corrections Fatigue, my natural instinct was no longer “red light-green light” in terms of use of force. It became red, yellow, and green. I began taking the time to look at the whole picture. The result became clearer decision making and a longer fuse.
CF2F is not a magic pill or a “one and done” training. CF2F is a great foundational training to jump start staff wellness at your institution. It’s a great annual refresher to ensure staff stay focused on fulfillment. It’s a great building block to a wellness program aimed at staff’s physical and mental health. If you are reading this and are still focused on return on investment, think of the money saved with reduced liability, especially for illegal use of force caused by staff’s short fuse or their lack of awareness of corrections fatigue and its impact.
