September / October 21

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 VOL. 30 NO 5

COPING WITH A HARROWING & HAZARDOUS JOB ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ENHANCES PRISON SECURITY

Culinary Reentry Programs Create a Career Path

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How Real Is Artificial Intelligence in Prisons?

Mobile Corrections Software On the Rise Culinary Reentry Programs Create a Career Path Coping with a Harrowing & Hazardous Job

Editor-in-Chief

Donna Rogers Contributing Editors Michael Grohs, M.J. Guercio, Bill Schiffner, G.F. Guercio Art Director

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Cover photo courtesy of CoreCivic depicts participants of the Culinary Career Training Program in Lake Erie Correctional Institution.

BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The SPARTAN 3 from Guardian RFID delivers A.I. analysis through mobile RFID tracking.

While long touted to be the wave of the future, how much has A.I. software made inroads in tracking and surveilling inmates?

A RECENT ARTICLE

in the online magazine Slate notes that artificial intelligenceconnected sensors, tracking wristbands and data analytics are popping up in smart homes, cars, classroom and workplaces. And now, perhaps yet a bit cautiously, “we’re seeing these types of networked systems show up in a new frontier—prisons.”

The article points out the A.I. is used in mainland China to monitor every one of their highprofile inmates in real time via networked hidden cameras and sensors placed in every cell.

According to a report in the South 4 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

China Morning Post, the network will stream the data it collects to “a fast, A.I.-powered computer that is able to recognize, track, and monitor every inmate around the clock” and, “At the end of each day, generate a comprehensive report, including behavioral analysis, on each prisoner using different A.I. functions such as facial identification and movement analysis.”

While this may seem extreme in a democracy—even in prisons and jails where many rights to freedom are relinquished—A.I. is beginning to take hold in U.S. correctional institutions. Clearly, artificial intel-

ligence software can enhance operational effectiveness, through “automation and augmentation,” working in conjunction with human expertise, yet spotting patterns that escape the human eye.

In addition, machine learning, which is a type of A.I., can process vast amounts of data very quickly using algorithms that change over time and get better at what they’re intended to do. A.I. can collect biometric data, video surveillance, audio recordings and analytics that, combined with insights contextualized by humans, can be used to create a “smart prison,” one that can be operated more effi-

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ciently than ever before.

So far, while facilities in the United States have been reluctant to implement computer-aided surveillance, A.I. is being used across the U.S. to monitor phone calls from prisoners, including data tracking of call recipients and voice printing calls, according to prisonlegalnews.com. The technology operates on speech recognition and semantic analysis to search through a database of key words.

It can automatically transcribe inmates’ phone calls, analyzing their patterns of communication and flagging certain words or phrases, including slang, that officials pre-program into the system. In order to keep up with regional differences and changes in prison slang, the tech providers embed investigators into correctional units.

When analysis of a phone call detects suspicious language, the company contacts law enforcement. One California-based com-

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pany, LEO Technologies, claims that in just two years of operation it has uncovered countless contraband smuggling schemes, prevented serious incidents of violence from occurring, and stopped dozens of suicides, according to news reports.

Getting a Boost Now the technology could be getting a boost in keeping tabs on what inmates are saying thanks to a key House of Representatives panel that pressed for a report to study the use of A.I. to analyze prisoners’ phone calls, noted a Reuters news post in August.

However, there is a downside: “…Prisoners’ advocates and inmates’ families say relying on A.I. to interpret communications opens up the system to mistakes, misunderstandings and racial bias.”

The call for the Department of Justice to further explore the technology, to help prevent violent crime and suicide, accompanies

an $81 billion-plus spending bill to fund the DOJ and other federal agencies in 2022 that the Appropriations Committee passed in July.

Several state and local facilities across the country have already started using the speech analysis tech, including in Alabama, Georgia and New York, according to Reuters.

Bill Partridge, chief of police in Oxford, Alabama, said local forces have managed to solve cold case homicides after prisoners were flagged on the phone talking about “actually committing the murder.”

Partridge’s department is one of a handful of agencies in the state that have utilized software from LEO Technologies that uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) natural language processing and transcription tools to process and flag inmate calls for near realtime analysis.

The police chief said the technology, called Verus, is particular-

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ly helpful in preventing suicides.

“I think if the federal government starts using it, they’re going to prevent a lot of inmate deaths,” he told Reuters.

Another way prisons use A.I. analysis is through mobile RFID tracking. Mobile inmate tracking

powers it, delivering a 14-hour run time that’s hot swappable in seconds. The tracker also comes with a 14 MP, autofocus camera with an f/2.0 aperture for working in low light, and an LED flash. High-resolution video and audio are stored to the Cloud

The new SPARTAN 3 device from Guardian RFID was rebuilt from the ground up and features on-device artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.

is a technology that allows a jail, prison or detention center to streamline surveillance of offenders. It automates offender tracking objectives using handheld scanners or mobile devices to auto-identify one or more offenders electronically and collect data about what you see them doing, where you take them, and what you give them, according to Ken Dalley, Jr., president, Guardian RFID. The Minnesota-based company says its newly launched SPARTAN 3 mobile inmate tracking system has been 16 years in the making. Totally rebuilt from the ground up, it has a 5.5 inch screen and a durable grey line bumper that results in eight feet of fall protection on concrete yet it is easily stowed in a CO’s cargo pants pocket.

The new device runs Android 10, and is powered by Mobile Command, “the most trusted and widely deployed mobile inmate tracking system in the U.S.,” they say. A Snapdragon octacore CPU 8 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

through integrated mobile device management for high security.

But the most distinctive feature of the new tool is the powerful, on-device artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities deeply embedded in the next-generation of Guardian RFID software. The company notes that expanding A.I. features empower COs with the strength of predictive and prescriptive analytics to better keep track of inmates’ movements.

Another technology, video surveillance, has become a necessary and prevalent security tool for those who work in very small to super large prisons. In cases where facilities face a shortage of staff members to watch over the inmate population, video surveillance supports the oversight and increases inmate accountability because they know they are being observed by cameras that can catch even the smallest details of their movements. “There are very few blind spots,” says Brad Wareham, director of Key

Accounts at Salient Systems.

Wareham notes that facilities are increasingly upgrading their older analog systems to hybrid and/or fully digital IP-based solutions, all while maintaining the Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) model.

For many correctional facilities, upgrading a video surveillance system to an IP-based solution, in addition to a video management system (VMS), makes sense and benefits the facility in multiple ways, Salient Systems furthers. The Austin, Texas-based company offers a solution called CompleteView, a network friendly, comprehensive IP and analog VMS built on open architecture.

The company notes that one of the biggest benefits of a VMS solution “is video analytic software, which is capable of tracking a moving target and searching for specific objects. Video analytics can count human beings, monitor queues, and even identify a geographical location. VMS solutions allow security to search video archives quickly and find archived video that matches custom criteria within minutes, which is helpful in investigations.”

In addition, video analytics within a VMS solution can be programmed to detect specific activity and activate an alarm or alert system when the activity occurs, saving manpower. Another key benefit is the ability to recognize a face in a crowded correctional institution, in particular when inmates may be wearing the same type and color of clothing, the company points out.

Artificial intelligence, while making waves in a multitude of industries across the globe, is testing a toe in the waters of corrections agencies across the U.S. It has very real benefits in investigative applications and chances are you will be seeing it come soon to a prison near you. % For more info about security using A.I., email: info@ correctionsforum.net.

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BY M.J. GUERCIO, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Mobile Corrections Software:

THE CATALYST FOR CHANGE An incarcerated individual uses a LexisNexis online law library.

Inmate connectivity, community supervision, jail management and scheduling in the palm of the hand.

The corrections industry is moving towards mobile devices for everything from scheduling to probation and parole supervision.

Corrections officers often rely on these handheld devices while in the field, inmates increasingly count on specially made tablets, and exoffenders depend on community supervision mobile apps.

As mobile devices have become more powerful, their appeal has grown. They’re light, reliable, and fast. Your smartphone, according to a recent scientific article, is millions of times more powerful than the Apollo 11 guidance computers; in fact, the author contends that one iPhone 6 alone could guide 120,000,000 Apollo-era spacecraft to the 10 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

moon, all at the same time.

Mobile devices like smartphones aren’t the only growing trend in corrections. Tablets are increasing in popularity as well.

In 2018 The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervisions entered a deal with JPay to provide all New York state prison inmates with a tablet. And New York isn’t alone; 11 other states have signed similar contracts, including Colorado, California, and Indiana.

Mobile Community Supervision Solutions The company cFive provides mobile solutions for community supervision agencies; their products are designed for both clients and staff. Its Catalyst can be used on a desktop or as a mobile app

on smartphones and tablets. Pew Research notes that the percentage of Americans that rely solely on smartphones for Internet access is highest among lowincome households. Twentyseven percent of Americans earning less than $30,000 a year rely on smartphones for Internet access. The median income of exoffenders is $10,090 a year, according to a Brookings Economic Study.

Because returning citizens are more likely to rely on smartphones for Internet access, cFive’s application is designed to be easily accessible to them. James Newman, senior vice president, notes that the firm is committed to “providing solutions to community supervision agencies, their staff, and their clients.”

The company’s focus is to

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The cFive Catalyst mobile app home screen.

develop products that help both case managers and the supervised community attain success.

Catalyst features a streamlined

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platform that increases communication with an array of options designed to engage clients. “[The software] pairs the technology clients need to meet supervision requirements and avoid FTAs (failures to appear) with behavior change and positive reinforcement techniques that can help them build positive sustainable long-term habits,” Newman adds.

Catalyst’s live video calling feature, In-Sight Live Calls, provides case managers with a quick and easy way to communicate with their clients face-to-face digitally. “The ability for the client and their case manager to see each other during the call and interact was invaluable,” states Newman. Case managers can also use Catalyst to see verifying documents and view calling locations if necessary.

Furthermore, In-Sight delivers cost savings to returning citizens, removing the need to travel to in-person meetings. The app saves money on travel, parking,

and childcare, and its greater flexibility can also help them

Tyler Corrections Mobile app cell check.

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avoid missing work. He states that “In-Sight builds trust with clients; clients that used In-Sight felt that case managers valued their time and were invested in their success.”

How It Works In-Sight case managers launch a call from their Catalyst portal, and clients can connect with them using the Catalyst app. Catalyst records call history, including date, time, call length, client attendance, and notes taken during the call, helping case managers save time on data entry.

Catalyst monitors compliance and can gather information in various ways, including questionnaires, surveys, text messages, and live video calls. Depending on the client and their risk level, agencies and courts can use the program to supplement, automate, and sometimes replace inperson client interactions altogether. Newman maintains that for some time now, the justice

system has embraced remote supervision technology; the pandemic provided an incentive and the opportunity to increase remote supervision.

“From what I have seen, community supervision agencies that adapt by embracing technology and remote supervisions are in a much better position today. In the long run, remote supervision will increase efficiency, decrease FTAs and help more clients become rehabilitated. Change can be the catalyst that leads to better things,” Newman says.

Mobile Inmate Law Library Solutions A lead to better things is often an inmate’s vision when conducting legal research.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) attests that in the United States, incarcerated individuals in both state and federal prisons are guaranteed cer-

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tain constitutional rights. “The fundamental constitutional right of access to the courts requires prison authorities to provide prisoners with adequate law libraries,” states Bounds v. Smith (430 U.S 817), the landmark 1977 Supreme Court decision that led to the establishment of law libraries in correctional institutions.

The LexisNexis digital law library is available as a compact, mobile, and cost-effective resource that provides inmates access to legal research compliant with state mandates, the company says. Federal corrections agencies, 37 state Departments of Corrections, and over 1,500 local, county, and regional jails use LexisNexis for their inmate law library solutions.

The resource is customizable and can be used as a secure online web application or as an offline external hard drive application, compatible with all major hardware solutions; tamper-proof kiosk options are also available.

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ScheduleAnywhere’s homepage for laptops and mobile apps.

Users have access to a comprehensive legal content collection, including state-specific materials.

The first option, the firm’s Custom Interface (CI) solution, is an online application equipped with multilayered security, Lexis search and navigation features, and automatic updates.

LexisNexis has a 24/7 security team that assesses threats and shuts down any pages that show signs of suspicious activity.

Content is delivered on dedicated DOC servers that block any external linking and only allow access from pre-screened IP addresses. It is protected by F5 firewalls that detect spoofing and malware.

The second option, the External Hard Drive (EHD) solution, is 100 percent offline and is plug-and-play ready. It’s reported to be a fraction of the cost of a legal library, and it takes up a fraction of the space, easily fitting in the palm of the hand. It is updated at least quarterly and has downloadable IT support. It contains state-specific content, federal and state cases, statutes and court rules, and leading analytical materials.

LexisNexis collaborates with 14 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

product, service, and content delivery vendors and offers a wide range of integrated solutions.

Currently, LexisNexis is compatible with touchscreen kiosk vendors that are desk-mounted, wallmounted, and mobile cart-mounted. It is also tablet, desktop PC, terminal hardware, and inmate phone service-friendly.

“The inmate law library solution provides access to the same content as practicing attorneys and includes continuously updated annotated statues, extensive case law collections, and authoritative secondary sources,” says Anders Ganten, Sr Director, Corrections at LexisNexis.

Inmates can browse by legal topic and Shepardize cases.

Shepardizing cases verifies if a case is still good law by checking if it has been overturned, reaffirmed, questioned, or cited by later cases.

LexisNexis also sends team members onsite to train inmates and staff on conducting electronic legal research. “We are also investing significantly in creating content that is written in accessible language specifically addressing inmate legal issues,” adds Ganten.

Mobile Scheduling Software ScheduleAnywhere addresses issues of communication and staffing needs.

The program allows managers and supervisors to connect with corrections officers and staff immediately, ensuring that important information and updates are shared across the board. It is accessible via its mobile app or through any web browser.

Supervisors can use the app to see employee scheduling and instantly adjust staffing to meet fluctuating personnel needs. For instance, if an officer tests positive for COVID-19 and must be quarantined, supervisors can use the app to fill their shift quickly.

ScheduleAnywhere tracks employee attributes, skills, certifications and training, allowing supervisors to identify and contact qualified replacements to cover their shifts.

Managers are no longer tethered to their desks; they can manage staff schedules and employee requests from anywhere.

Supervisors can respond to time-

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off, cover, and swap requests.

They can also repost the schedule to notify affected employees of changes instantly.

Employees can access their work schedule with ScheduleAnywhere’s free mobile app. They can manage and submit schedule requests as well as view staff schedules, all in the palm of the hand.

Mobile Jail Management and Inmate Tablet Software Remotely meeting inmate needs becomes possible with mobile devices.

Rick McHenry, senior director of marketing at Tyler Technologies Justice Group, maintains that the pandemic catalyzed the transition to mobile devices like tablets to minimize contact and movement. Tablets became a safe way to meet the visitation, programming, entertainment and

messaging needs of inmates.

VendEngine of Tyler Technologies is a cloud-based software provider that focuses on financial technology for the corrections market. Because VendEngine is cloud-based it is accessible by any device anywhere, including inmate tablets. It offers a comprehensive suite of applications that plug into any facility’s management system, including commissary management systems, electronic messaging, onsite and offsite video visitation systems, medical management, suicide and PREA alert systems, and grievance management. Inmates have access to free inbound emails and texts, onsite video visitation, medical requests, and access to education, certification, and legal research resources. “VendEngine partners with education content providers and allows inmates to

access that programming at no cost,” indicates McHenry.

During the pandemic, VendEngine has worked to expand the support of the networks of families and friends of incarcerated individuals, including providing more than 40 million free connections, texts, emails, and video visitation across the country. “Together, Tyler and VendEngine will provide a complete and robust cloud-based technology system aimed at making a positive impact on the courts and justice market, setting incarcerated individuals up for success, and reducing national recidivism rates,” says Rusty Smith, president of the Courts and Justice Division at Tyler.

Tyler’s Corrections Mobile app also sets up corrections management for success by fully integrating with Tyler Corrections and allowing corrections officers and supervisors to complete their duties while in the field. The app provides accurate live information on inmates, and it enables corrections officers to log observations, movements and rounds.

It also tracks the activities of officers and inmates. Corrections Mobile automates manual data entry tasks by converting them to quick validations that officers can complete with a tap. It works with or without WiFi and uses NFC (near field communication) to complete tasks; it can also quickly identify inmates.

Tyler Technologies offers mobile solutions that facilitate communication, connection, and efficient management in a facility—from intake to release.

Mobile solutions such as Tyler Tech’s provide a multitude of applications within this industry.

Overall, it corroborates the conviction that the technological revolution of the corrections industry will take place right in the palm of the hand. % For more info on any of the software mentioned in this story email: info@correctionsforum.net.

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BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Mapping a New Career Path

The National Restaurant Association is using a $4 million grant to train and certify incarcerated individuals in culinary management skills.

Credentialed culinary training and case management follow-through can help guide justice-involved individuals to stay the course on a rocky career path.

here’s nothing like getting a paycheck for the first time and feeling the pride and the power of your independence. For justiceinvolved individuals the same holds true—it’s been shown that those who have employment upon release from incarceration have a proven better chance of lower recidivism.

But what helps is not just any employment—the type of position, including the longevity at the job and the wage, plays a giant factor in determining suc-

T

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cessful reentry, states a 2019 study by the Institute of Politics, Harvard University. In fact it says that simply having a short-term job post-release has virtually no impact on the rate of recidivism.

A positive impact on recidivism can only be found when returning citizens hold jobs for longer than six months, the Harvard study furthers.

Criminologists R.J. Sampson and J.H. Laub attribute the effect of employment longevity to whether recently released individuals are able to develop relationships with their coworkers

and employers.

Given the importance of longterm employment, community reentry programs must emphasize high quality jobs with upward potential. And, it probably comes as no surprise that the main factor in determining whether or not returning citizens are able to secure these jobs, according to the Harvard study, is their level of education.

It follows that maintaining longevity at a job and earning a living wage can make all the difference if a recently released employee can stand on one’s

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own and become a contributing member of society.

Fortuitously, this year marked the creation of several high-level training programs in the food service industry which are offered to justice-involved individuals across the country.

$4 Million Restaurant Grant The first, funded by a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, was awarded in June to the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Building on its Hospitality Opportunities for People (Re)Entering Society, or HOPES program, which was established last year in Boston; Chicago; and Richmond and Farmville, Virginia, NRAEF is launching HOPES in four additional states—Delaware, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas.

The current HOPES grant connects adults, 20-180 days prelease from state prisons and county jails, with case management, work-readiness training, occupa-

tional credentials, and post release employment and support.

NRAEF anticipates involving 430 individuals in the program nationwide.

HOPES employs a community collaborative model, says Patricia D. Gill, director of Workforce Development, building on the existing efforts of the DOCs. “DOCs have always had career and tech programs, and they are already doing programs like ServSafe,” she notes, but this new collaborative takes it one step further in that case managers are assigned to follow individuals from prerelease through reentry, including work-readiness services, employment, and follow-up for job retention support.

Overall, NRAEF works within the restaurant and hospitality industries to advance people from all backgrounds. Through HOPES, we support people who are not connected to school or work, and we use the diverse opportunities in our industry as a tool to do so, explains Gill. We work with those who may have a barrier to employment, and help them build their lives, and we

show them how to advance on those opportunities, she says. We also provide the supports and services they will need to access jobs and advance at those jobs, she details. “We try to impart knowledge and skills and support along their career pathway,” not only with industry skills, but with skills they can apply to any field.

“We help people and we also help communities.”

And what makes the restaurant business a great fit for this population is its welcoming nature. There are few barriers for entry, and it offers “stackable credentials,” Gill points out, the ability to learn and earn at the same time.

HOPES partners to leverage services through community-based organizations, she notes, with the reentry connections already in place. Everyone’s coming in “with goals that align.” The DOCs are excited and get the program off the ground, the community-based organizations provide the case management connections, and the training is informed by the industry through the state restaurant associations. One of the big differences with this program is

CoreCivic and Trinity Services Group teamed up with Lake Erie Correctional Institution, to offer a culinary reentry program in which incarcerated individuals earn a Certificated Fundamentals Cook designation.

20 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

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that a HOPES case manager is given access to individuals prerelease and they follow the person to align opportunities and supports through to post release.

“It’s that kind of seamless connection we can make that is powerful for people,” Gill emphasizes. “They can connect and build toward post-release employment and life goals.”

Delaware Launches HOPES In Delaware, the HOPES program is filling a vacuum left by the Covid-19 pandemic. A recent survey of 250 restaurant owners in the state report that following a difficult year due to the virus, “87 percent of eatery employers are facing inadequate staffing levels,” forcing them to shorten their hours or limit the number of people they can serve.

Delaware Restaurant Association’s Senior Director Raelynn Grogan spoke with CF about how her organization has built upon past successes to put the new HOPES grant money to good use. Over the past few years, Grogan has been entrenched in the culinary educational work force training program as coordinator of the Delaware ProStart Program, which teaches high school students culinary and management skills, as well as teaching as a ServSafe instructor. Two years ago, DRA embarked on one of the first cook apprenticeship programs in the coun-

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try. That pilot program led to the DRA being one of four states chosen for a Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship Program grant and they expect to have four newly minted graduates in October, as well as 40 potential employer locations to host further apprentices in either a Line Cook, Restaurant Manager or Kitchen Manager Apprenticeship Track.

With a rapport in food service education already established, this new grant involves community partners in Project New Start, a non profit job readiness program for individuals transitioning out of state and federal institutions and the Food Bank of Delaware, a member of Feeding America, which is dedicated to facilitating long-term solutions to the problems of hunger and poverty through community education and advocacy. Joining the program are individuals transitioning out of the state’s James T. Vaughn Correctional Center (JTVCC) and the Baylor Women's Correctional Institution (BWCI).

For entrance into the program, Grogan reiterates that HOPES considers those within 20-180 days from release from prison. Community partners are expected to commit to 80 participants over four years. The grant will encompass two years of active training and a year follow-up support. Numbers they are striving toward for those enrolled in the program, says Grogan, are that “60% will earn at least one nationally recognized certification, a 70% job placement rate

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The culinary program offered by CoreCivic and Trinity Services Group provides both back of house and front of house training to provide a broader skill set.

and 75% will retain the job for 12 months.” Certifications include ServSafe Food Handler, ServSafe Food Protection Manager and ServSuccess Restaurant Professional.

Meanwhile, during the 12 months of DRA follow-up with a case manager, students will receive assistance with job placement and workforce support for both individuals and employers, she explains. Counted among participating Delaware employers, which are located in every county across the state, are a variety of restaurant groups, including two breweries with eateries, a casino, a market and an events center.

“We are confident we can hit our numbers,” underscores Grogan. With the workforce shortages restaurant employers are bemoaning, upskilling workers is a “win-win for all.” Our goal is to reduce recidivism, she furthers.

Unacceptably high, she says, “at 64.5% in Delaware, we wish to lower it, to tackle it head on.

Through these programs, DRA and 24 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

its partners plan to rebuild the food service and restaurant workforce. We hope “to entice, empower and advance individuals in taking this worthy career path.”

Comprehensive Culinary Program In Ohio, CoreCivic has developed a unique culinary reentry training program within the Lake Erie Correctional Institution, a 1,700-men, medium security prison located about an hour’s drive from Cleveland. Launched in partnership with its food service supplier, Trinity Services Group, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the Culinary Career Training Program is a 10-month long course in which incarcerated individuals earn a Certificated Fundamentals Cook (CFC®) designation through the American Culinary Federation, a professional chef’s organization with 170 chapters nationwide. “[Credentials] give them instant credibility when they go into a food industry establish-

ment to apply for a work. And it’s great time for them to find work,” Dave Miller, the chief operating officer of Trinity Services Group, told the local newspaper at the time of the pilot launch.

Timed for those nearing release, with a minimum of 13 months and maximum of two years remaining on their sentences, the content is distinctive because it offers the participant a variety of skills across the food service business. It combines front of house know-how with back of house proficiency, explains Matt Moore, CoreCivic's senior director of Reentry Services, that is, “cook[ing], serving, hosting, running the front...it’s a more complete, robust type of curriculum.”

In addition to classroom instruction, inmates receive hands-on training with a chef. “It’s very individualized.”

Most recent research points to evidence that “correctional education improves recidivism rates by as much as 43%,” says Moore.

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To this end, CoreCivic offers a variety of educational programs including adult literacy, GED programs and vocational training, such as welding, diesel mechanic and computer coding. A handful of those at the facility have earned Associates degrees from Ashland University’s Correctional Education Program.

The culinary program, in development for about a year, was rolled out in July with nine participants, and is expected to continue to grow over time.

One of the big differences with the HOPES program offered by the National Restaurant Association is that a case manager is given access to individuals prior to release and they follow the person to align opportunities and support them through post release.

Trinity Services conducts the training, and the CoreCivic director of education coordinates correctional subject matter experts. “[Participants] are very excited,” he notes. “It helps the returning citizen to see themselves differently, to shape a new narrative, a new identity.”

Once they don the official smocks and pants and they look like a chef, explains Moore, “you can see the difference in the ways they talk and carry themselves. It helps them see what they can be when they get out. The program helps them address the deficits they face, “while creating a new identity apart from the justice system.”

Not Survive, But Thrive Successful reentry for returning citizens takes more than an entry-level job. Addressing deficits, providing an entire spectrum of cognitive behavioral treatment and intensive education with recognized certifications as well as follow-up are all ingredients to flourishing integration.

Connecting prelease programming with postrelease support is working for the HOPES program, notes Gill. “The outcomes are people getting work; so far we are seeing good retention, and they are already getting promoted.”So importantly, says Gill, “We not only place them but really support them” for the long term. Our goal is “placement, retention and advancement.”

Moore concurs: “We hope when they are released these returning citizens will get a job in the food service industry that will allow them to support themselves and their families, live the version of the good life they envision—and stay out of the system.” % For more info about the HOPES reentry program or the Culinary Career Training Program email: info@correctionsforum.net.

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BY MICHAEL GROHS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Pressure Points COs experience stress, risk and trauma that can spill over into their family lives. Here are courses of action that can relieve some of that pain.

It’s difficult to imagine a job more at risk of breeding stress and simmering resentment within the one performing it than that of a correctional officer (CO). The romanticism the public often associates with the police and the military 26 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

tends to not include COs, and the camaraderie people attach to the uniformed services is not really experienced in the correctional profession. COs rarely seem to be portrayed in a positive light in film and television, and each day at work is spent with manipula-

tive and potentially violent people and situations. As stress builds, it can affect officers’ mental and physical health and seep into their family life.

Caterina Spinaris, PhD, LPC and executive director at Desert Waters Correctional Outreach

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(DWCO) in Colorado points out that the primary stress factors for correctional staff are divided into three categories inherent to the profession: organizational, operational, and traumatic.

Organizational stressors include interpersonal conflict, procedural justice, staff management issues, offender management issues, and

certain policies. Operational stressors include shift work, understaffing, mandatory overtime, multi-tasking, and certain policies and procedures. Traumatic stressors include both direct and indirect exposure to violence, injury, or death, and experiencing threats or near-misses.

Desert Waters was founded in

Families First: Helping Officers Through their Loved Ones Most parents can relate to the stress of balancing a career and a home life, getting everyone where they need to be and when, the cost of childcare, the cost of living, and myriad other anxieties and concerns. Certain professions, such as corrections officers (COs) have the added burden of being among the most stressful jobs in public service. This can affect every aspect of their health.

The term “eight and the gate” is not an apt one for COs. Ted Conover wrote the book Newjack about the year he spent as a CO at Sing Sing. The idea of not bringing the job home is pleasing in theory, but as Conover wrote about his experience, “I was like my friend who had worked the pumps at a service station: Even after she got home and took a shower, you could still smell the gasoline on her hands.”

One organization addressing the issue of family stress and correctional work is Axon, which was formed in 2018 by a team dedicated to servicing the needs of correctional institutions and their employees. One of the biggest crises facing public safety today is mental health. As Isabella Giannini, Axon senior manager of Customer Loyalty, points out, there is one group in particular that receives few, if any, resources yet can have the biggest impact on public safety: their families.

Family members have the ability to spot the signs of an at-risk loved one often years ahead of work peers; they also carry a burden themselves.

“Axon is working with public safety, their families, and specialized psychologists to create resources for families to better understand and support their loved one in law enforcement,” she notes. This includes topics such as the demands and realities of the profession, how to respond with empathy and understanding, and tactical resources for keeping positivity and structure at home. Axon also provides anonymous virtual scenario-based training modules for any family member’s use. The training ends with various resources to further support the families and follow-up, including but not limited to webinars, 28 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

2003. Its mission is to advance the well-being of correctional staff and agencies and their families through data-driven, skillbased training, it states. “Our studies consistently show alarmingly high rates of staff (especially custody staff) meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD, major depressive disorder, generalized

surveys, literature, and a national hotline.

Axon, says Giannini, aims to be a true partner to public safety, which means being there when officers really need it. “As our customers started opening up about personal struggles, we saw an opportunity to provide an extra level of support.

We began to interview agencies, psychologists, clinicians, therapists, former and current first responders and families to truly understand how we, as family members and friends, can better protect the ones who protect us. This led to the creation of the Family First initiative, which falls under Axon’s philanthropic arm: Axon Aid.” The Family First initiative was launched in May for Mental Health Awareness month with the goal to help and prepare the families of first responders through trainings and tips for families and officers to better communicate and understand each other. “We’re very excited about the projected growth of the program. Healthier responders mean healthier communities. Everyone can benefit from understanding the realities of these professions and supporting each other.”

The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, says Giannini. They have had speakers and mini-documentary participants who had been highly impacted by trauma become outspoken mental health advocates. Citizens reached out and let them know the impact this series has had on them and the empathy they now have for first responders. Officers have let them know how impactful it has been for Axon to recognize their struggle. In addition to the positive response, Axon has also received requests to include topics ranging from substance abuse to establishing peer support within an agency. “We have much more work to do, but we are honored to support first responders by bringing in experts on tough topics and creating accessible and tactical resources at no cost.”

Further, Axon has new content in development, including Spousal Networks and Support, How to Build a Wellness Department and The Effects of Peer Support. Additionally, they are working on a corrections-specific series. Their team can be contacted at aid@axon.com. To see more about Family First go to www.axon.com/aid/family-first.

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anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, and suicidal thinking,” Dr. Spinaris explains. Desert Waters staff tends to focus on COs since COs constitute the largest group of correctional employees and are the segment of the correctional workforce most exposed to traumatic incidents.

In working within this industry, Dr. Spinaris coined the term corrections fatigue to denote the cumulative, combined, and interacting effects of occupational stressors on COs because it is practically impossible to separate the impact of organizational and operational stress, frequently referred to as burnout, from the impact of traumatic stress, which manifests as PTSD. “One of the post-traumatic stress symptoms is increased irritability and anger outbursts; therefore, some of the anger exhibited by staff may be related to adverse consequences of their traumatic exposure.” She furthers, “Corrections staff, and in particular custody staff, do not only deal with the aftermath of past traumatic exposure. They also have to anticipate and prepare themselves for additional exposure every day that they report to work, perhaps for decades to come, and they may maintain such an anticipatory stance when they or their family members are in the community.”

Desert Waters offers corrections-specific, research-based staff trainings for both direct delivery and as instructor-led trainings with certification. Among the courses they offer is From Corrections Fatigue to Fulfillment™ (CF2F), which comes in four versions: one for adult institutional staff, one for probation and parole staff, one for juvenile institutional staff, and one for juvenile community staff. The interactive 8-hour workshop offers tools that assist corrections professionals to thrive both inside and outside the workplace and to anticipate the nature and causes of corrections fatigue

and gain insight on how to move beyond it to a place of fulfillment. Questionnaires, smallgroup work, and large-group discussion add crucial elements of self-assessment, peer support, and community building to the intriguing and eye-opening research-based content.

Another of its courses, True Grit: Building Resilience in Corrections Professionals™ is an 8-hour classroom interactive course packed with skill-based tools that promote resilience in corrections professionals.

Although it was intended to be a follow-up to CF2F, it has been found to be highly effective as a standalone workshop. The course addresses occupational demands, work/home life balance issues, and health concerns faced by the corrections workforce. Smallgroup work and action plans enhance the potential for practical implementation.

A third course they offer, the

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Supportive Correctional Supervisor™ is an interactive course designed to equip supervisors with research-based skills and knowledge to constructively manage subordinates. Research suggests the quality of the relationship staff has with their supervisors affects morale, job satisfaction, physical and emotional energy levels, mental health, physical health, and family health. A supportive supervisory style can even reduce staff’s use of work-related sick days. A Department of Justice Report called Addressing Correctional Officer Stress: Programs and Strategies found that a distressed officer might use all of his or her sick days not coming to work.

(One captain who responded to the Justice report judged that 90% of officers abuse sick time in this manner.) Inclusion of questionnaires, small-group work, and large-group discussion enhances the research-based content of the

CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 29

When COs suffer from work stressors so too do their families.

course, which is offered online over two 5-day sessions held four weeks apart.

Traditionally the correctional environment is not a culture where one can freely admit to having problems, and often there is acrimony among coworkers and less peer support than is often found in other uniformed services. (The DOJ Report found that 22% of staff viewed “other staff” as creating more stress than any other single factor except for dealing with hostile and demanding inmates.) Peer Supporter Training™ is a 5-day, 40-hour course to train correctional staff to offer social support to their peers who may be experiencing distress due to critical incidents or other stress factors. The course covers topics such as active listen-

ing skills, dealing with peers who may be a threat to themselves or others, confidentiality and its limits, assisting peers in their decision-making and problemsolving processes, and peer supporter team operational issues.

Inclusion of extensive role play enhances the potential of effective implementation of tools post-course.

One issue that seems to be gaining attention is how COs must deal with the work/life balance. Correctional officers may find themselves having to switch between officer and spouse/parent and do so in the time it takes to drive home. Desert Waters’ Correctional Family Wellness™ course presents information to adult family members about how corrections work experiences can

impact family life, and provides suggestions for dealing with scenarios commonly experienced by correctional families. The highly interactive course is geared to adult family members of seasoned correctional employees as a 4-hour course and to adult family members of new staff as a 2-hour course. It is also offered to correctional employees as a 34-hour instructor training. Topics address such areas as the realities of corrections work, when work comes home, what loved ones face at work, organizational ways to counter the challenges, help for the family, and family scenarios.

Results of the courses, notes Dr. Spinaris, have been “very encouraging,” especially in agencies where a sufficient number of instructors have been trained and certified, and the material was offered as mandatory training to all staff. Correctional facilities have traditionally been an environment of silence and strength and “toughing it out.” Trends have shown agencies are becoming more cognizant of staff health and more sensitive to the effects that serving as a CO can have on those involved. Dr. Spinaris notes that since Desert Waters first started out in 2003, they have seen a tremendous increase in the recognition of the importance of staff wellness issues, their families’ wellness issues, and the impact of trauma on staff. % For more info on Desert Waters Correctional Outreach courses or Axon’s Families First program email: info@correctionsforum.net

Stress levels (and the accompanying psychological and physical impacts) are so high and so prevalent that the average correctional officer can expect to live to just 59-62—a full 14-21 years less than the general public.

It is estimated that 156 active duty correctional officers take their own lives each year. That’s three deaths every week, and 34.8 suicides per 100,000 correctional officers each year. The suicide rate among the general population is less than half of the rate among COs: 14.2 deaths per 100,000 Americans.

SOURCE: CORRECTIONAL OFFICER WELLNESS PROJECT

30 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

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BY G.F. GUERCIO, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

ACFSA Conference Marked a Virtual Success Conducted Sept. 12-14 via video conference, the cyber meeting of food service professionals was a conduit for corrections connections.

T

he Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliates’ 2021 annual international conference began with a Zoom welcome reception with its board.

Then keynote speaker Chef Bobby Anderson opened with his presentation, “I Learned to Live When I Learned to Cook.”

As a four-star entrepreneur who went on to the hit Fox TV show “Hell’s Kitchen” and resultingly was hired by Gordon Ramsay to run his two London-area restaurants, he most recently developed F BITES (Food Based Interventions with Technology, Energy and Science) to provide life skills to break the cycle of poverty.

While attending virtually, the lobby, exhibit hall, general sessions, education, and networking were all options to click and connect with fellow professionals and industry leaders. Providing all these varied virtual destinations, the ACFSA continues to work toward its mission to develop and promote educational programs and networking activities to improve professionalism and provide an opportunity for broadening knowledge.

Conference sessions covered topics from menu planning, mental health to emergency preparedness, leader training and religious diets. The exhibit hall

tive: chat with five vendors during the conference and 2022 dues would be free.

The exhibit hall will continue to be available as a marketplace on the website where attendees and members will be able to source products and services stretching until the 2022 conference. Some of the participating vendors are highlighted here for review.

Commissary Goods and Services Keynoter Chef Bobby Anderson

supported companies in equipment, food supplies and related products and services. The association included a popular incen-

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For over 30 years, Union Supply Group has exclusively supplied the correctional industry with commissary goods and services. Union Supply Group divisions (Food Express USA,

CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 31

Union Supply Company, Union Supply Direct, and US Commissary Solutions) provide food and personal care products, apparel, footwear, and electronics to correctional facilities.

Union Supply is an industry leader in designing and managing award-winning offender work, training, and post-release employment programs through innovative correctional industries joint venture partnerships.

310.603.8899, fax: 310.603.1314, www.unionsupplygroup.com

Food Service Solutions Trinity’s sole focus on the corrections industry uses more than 30 years of experience to present innovative solutions, operating efficiencies and technology-forward services, allowing correc-

are a leading supplier of food products, personal care products, electronics, clothing, technology, telecommunications and software solutions to the correctional market. Since 1975, Keefe services the correctional market exclusively and pioneered the evolution of products, packaging and technology services to fit the needs of facilities nationwide.

800.325.8998, customerfirst@keefegroup.com, keefegroup.com

Foodservice Equipment Since 1931, Federal Supply USA has provided foodservice equipment, supplies, and service to both public and private institutions nationally. During its 90th anniversary celebration, the company acknowledges its success isn’t only defined by the products offered, but by the partnerships built and the employees that have been a part of the family.

888.623.4499, info@federalsupply.com, www.federalsupplyusa.com

Pouched Entrées tional partners to go back to the business of running the facility.

Understanding that mealtime plays a critical role in the overall stability of a secure facility, Trinity continuously refines resources, skills and expertise to exceed the food service needs of large and small correctional facilities. Trinity also provides services such as Trinity Sourcing Solutions, Trinity Take Out and Work Feed Succeed to support inmate feeding programs.

855.705.5538, TrinityServicesGroup.com

Vistar introduces Good Eats Originals, a line of shelf-stable pouched entrées, which include

seven heat-and-serve meals: two beef chilis, two vegetarian and three beef entrées. The large, 12ounce, stand-up, pouched products, are all natural, spicy, low sodium, kosher, halal and gluten free. Available only from Vistar, a leading distributor of commissary, foodservice, concession and vending products.

775.358.8585 or 877.662.9462, JennyService-CSR@pfgc.com or MaximaCustomerService@pfgc.com, Vistar.com

Correctional Products Supplier Keefe Group and its affiliates— Keefe Commissary Network, Access Securepak, Access Corrections, ICSolutions and Advanced Technologies Group— Scan the QR to experience the history of Federal Supply USA. 32 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

Food Containers and Trays Design Specialties, Inc., products include food containers, insulated trays, compartment trays and much more. All prod-

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AD INDEX Page No.

ucts are reusable, recyclable, made in the USA and are available in a wide range of custom materials including XtremFlex.

The XtremFlex material does not crack or shatter and cannot be sharpened into a weapon.

203.288.3587, www.designspecialties.org

Black Creek Integrated Systems Corp. .............9 Bob Barker....................35 Centurion .......................2 Chestnut Ridge

Meeting Short Supplies With Communication JNS FOODS, a correctionalfocused food provider having serviced the industry since 1992, is currently focusing on products on hand or with firm commitments from national suppliers for product. Like all suppliers having issues with sources being short on product or having supply chain issues, a communication system is in place to apprise all parties.

954.718.7958, www.jnsfoods.com

Food Product Variety

Foam, Inc...................16 CoreCivic ......................25 Damascus Protective Gear .........34 to 170 meals per cart depending on your choices. Correctionalgrade aluminum carts maintain food temp, provide excellent durability, are easy to see over during transport, are NSF approved and easy to keep sanitary with a five-year warranty and free shipping. Call for free samples of tray options.

740.651.4318, joneszylon.com

Emergency Food Service Marketplace Foods is a leader in emergency and ongoing food The Food Exchange, LLC, provides a wide variety of products from frozen, refrigerated and dry.

The team, with a combined 80plus-years experience, says its customers can count on it for integrity, quality and savings. The Food Exchange provides made-to-order items as well as “special buys.”

866.450.7500, michele@thefoodexchange or tonys@thefoodexchangellc.com, www.thefoodexchangellc.com

Meal Delivery Package Deal The meal delivery system for jails has been conveniently placed into a package. The Jail Package includes free trays with a purchased meal delivery cart.

Select your free trays from three different options and choose from four cart sizes. Deliver 36

Elmridge Protection .....29 Guardian RFID ..............11 Institutional Eye Care ...34 Jones-Zylon Co. ............19 Keefe Group .................36 Keytrak, Inc.....................7 Laundry Loops.........12,34 Lexis Nexis Digital Library & eBooks.......34 Medi-Dose Company...........6,12,15 O.W.L Observation Without Limits ..........13 Pellerin Milnor..............22 StunCuff

service solutions for all corrections. As a supplier of box meals and sandwiches, offerings include: snack components, sandwich components including meat and cheese slices, two-count and four-count bread packs, three-compartment foam trays, spork kits, and many kosher drink pack items such as coffee, juice and milk.

877.733.3630, sales@marketplacefoodsgroup.com www.marketplacefoodsgroup.com

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Enterprises, Inc. ..........6 TrinityServices Group, Inc. ................21 Union Supply Group ......5 Vistar Corporate ...........23 Western Union .............17 Wexford Health Sources ......................27 This advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers only. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions.

CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 33

COMPLETE EYEGLASSES

$14.95

RX Eyeglasses On-Site Optometry On-Site Ophthalmology Testing

1000 Facilities Nationwide 44 States - Federal in all 50 States Correctional Vision Care Since 1983

Institutional Eye Care LLC website: institutionaleyecare.com email: info@ institutionaleyecare.com

Tie-Top Laundry Bag Tie-Top Laundry Bag allows for ample laundry capacity while eliminating the need for closure components that can break or go missing. It comes in three convenient sizes to fit an individual change of clothes all the way up to blankets and bedspreads.

EcoSecurity™ Utensil helps prevent injury to staff, inmates or residents The new EcoSecurity™ Utensil is made from a slick, moisture-resistant paperboard, like a milk carton. In one fold, it becomes the perfect sturdy scoop for any soft or bite size foods that don’t require cutting.

1-800-334-9880 1-800-334-9880

www.bobbarker.com

www.bobbarker.com

34 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

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