Blog: Correction Connection

Curriculum restructure improves officer safety, retention, and job satisfaction

North Carolina is changing the way it trains new correctional officers so they are better prepared for the roles they play inside the state’s prisons.

The first meeting of the Prison Reform Advisory Board on March 20 was another important step in the endeavor towards improving operations and making prisons safer for employees, the inmates, visitors and ultimately the public.

Leaders of the state’s 55 prisons repeatedly heard two consistent messages from senior management and presenters during their meetings in Raleigh on March 12-13: You are the messenger in your facilities, and it is essential to communicate and listen to your staff.

Twenty-four men and women proudly took the oath of office as they became graduates of the first basic probation/parole officer training in 2018.

On Feb. 7-9, Interim Chief Deputy Secretary Reuben Young and Director of Prisons Kenneth Lassiter resumed their visits to the state’s prisons by heading west.

Leadership from the State Highway Patrol, N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program and local communities gathered in Clayton on Friday for the launch of the “Survive the Drive” campaign to highlight the dangers of speeding and distracted driving on rural roads.

We want you.

That well-publicized slogan on the Uncle Sam posters during World War II still applies. But this time it is the NC Department of Public Safety doing the recruiting and the agency is reaching out to military families.

Governor Roy Cooper is making good on his promise to make North Carolina safer by helping people leaving the state’s prisons become productive members of their communities.

Secretary Hooks and some of his executive team continue gathering feedback from employees about safety in prisons through listening sessions and other venues. They are hearing from employees across the state at all ranks and levels of experience.

Winter Weather Preparedness Week is Dec. 3-9

The students and staff of two juvenile detention centers in North Carolina put their creative muscles to work to construct a sports-themed creation for the 2017 Made by Milk contest. The project encourages students to use their creativity, while learning to recycle by repurposing milk cartons.

1. You live in hurricane, tornado, wildfire or blizzard hot spots (no pun intended), but have no emergency plan in place.

It's TGIF -- and we are certainly thankful for the staff of Treatment Services during Juvenile Justice week and beyond. Mental health is a complex and pivotal segment of juvenile healthcare.

We wrap up our recognition of Juvenile Justice week this afternoon with a spotlight on our Central Office staff. Central Office is the tie that binds it all together, housing budget, purchasing, IT, human resources, training, policy and management/oversight of Juvenile Justice.