As research continues to emerge, demographics shift, and unpredictable and unprecedented events occur, leadership must be aware of the effect these occurrences have on the corrections profession and adapt and revise accepted policy and practice.

COVID-19

Caused by a coronavirus (specifically a SARS virus), COVID-19 became a worldwide pandemic. Beginning in March 2020, the effect on criminal justice and all functions of corrections have been massive, an impact that continues to resonate worldwide.

Pandemic Preparedness and Response Among Community Supervision Agencies
Date: 2020
This article discusses the results of a survey from April 2020 into how community supervision agencies adapted to the stay-in-place orders mandated by the pandemic and its impact on supervision, future planning, and preparedness.

Pandemic Statement: Exit Statement from Community Corrections Executives
Undated
This statement from community supervision executives outlines recommendations and steps on the importance of best practices during the COVID-19 crisis.

COVID-19: How are Pretrial Service Agencies Dealing with the Coronavirus?
Date: 2020
This webinar presented by the National Institute of Corrections discusses the policy and implementations to address the operations for the judiciary and pretrial during the pandemic. It includes lessons learned for current and future operations.

Maricopa County Adult Probation Department Operations During Public Health Emergency
Date: August 2020
This policy example outlines the modified operations of the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy was developed to meet the requirements of federal and state orders while maintaining operations to ensure staff and public safety.

Minimum Supervision for Probation, Pretrial and Pre-Sentence
Undated
This policy from the Arizona Supreme Court sets out minimum requirements for probation departments in the state as they respond to supervision during the pandemic.

American Probation and Parole Association Webinars on the Pandemic
This three-part webinar series presents panelists from community corrections agencies to discuss responses and impacts of the pandemic.

Community Corrections Virtual Roundtable on COVID Pandemic I 
Date: April 9, 2020

Community Corrections Virtual Roundtable on COVID Pandemic 2 
Date: May 12, 2020

Community Corrections Virtual Roundtable on COVID Pandemic 3 
Date: June 29, 2021

American Probation and Parole: Community Corrections Roundtable #6 COVID-19 Experiences
December 2020
This webinar continues the discussion of the effects of the pandemic focusing on the impacts on justice-involved individuals on active supervision.

American Probation and Parole: Community Corrections Roundtable #5: Using Research to Understand How the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Changed Community Corrections Operations
December 2020
This webinar session provides key findings by researchers and scientists from information gathered during the pandemic, reflecting the functions, experiences, and adaptations of agencies and their impacts on supervision.

American Probation and Parole: Community Corrections Roundtable #4 Probation Officers on the Front Lines Against COVID-19
Date: Approx. September 2020
This webinar continues the discussion of the impacts and effects COVID-19 has had on officers operating on the front lines of probation supervision. Individuals discuss the changes to operations and their effects while maintaining supervision of individuals.

COVID Resources for Treatment Courts, Treatment Courts, and COVID-19:  Adapting Operations
Date: December 2020
The National Association of Drug Court Professionals partnered with the Northwest Professional Consortium (NPC Research) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance to research how treatment courts adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings are assembled in this report detailing the innovative ways programs overcame restrictions to keep participants engaged and healthy.

Training During a Pandemic: The Federal Probation and Pretrial Academy's Journey into a Virtual World
Date: June 2021
The authors of this article describe the response of the Federal Probation and Pretrial Academy's use of virtual classes for federal probation and pretrial services officers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons learned from adopted applications to ensure quality training could continue. 

Georgia Department of Community Supervision, A Not so New Normal 2021
Date: 2021
This document describes how the Georgia Department of Community Supervision responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to pursue best practices in supervising individuals while navigating the challenges of the pandemic for both staff and the justice-involved individuals under their supervision. Policies and practices were adapted to provide new methods of supervision that continued to meet the mission of the department.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Creating a culture that strives to recognize and incorporate all people's unique and important qualities and that values and backgrounds, often overlooked and underrepresented, are incorporated into the development of correctional policy and practice.

Support of Racial Equality and Justice
Date: July 2020
The resolution from the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators adopted in 2020 outlines their position on fairness and racial equality in the court systems. Creating a culture that strives to recognize and incorporate all people's unique and important qualities and that values and backgrounds, often overlooked and underrepresented, are incorporated into the development of correctional policy and practice. 

Justice Reinvestment in Vermont Results of Racial Equity in Sentencing Analysis
Date: April 2022
This 2022 study by the Council of State Governments Justice Center describes the Justice Reinvestment Initiative in Vermont which examined racial equity and measures to correct existing inequities. 

Language Matters

Language and terminology have the power to be uplifting. Yet, within criminal justice, there are commonly used terms and phrases that are considered stigmatizing to justice-involved persons, creating barriers to accessing necessary services and support. For example, there is a growing movement among agencies and organizations to use person-first language.

Person-Centered Language - Center for Practice Transformation (umn.edu)
Person-centered language is language that puts people first. People are so much more than their substance use disorder, mental illness, or disability. Using person-centered language is about respecting the dignity, worth, unique qualities and strengths of every individual. A person’s identity and self-image are closely linked to the words used to describe them.

Destigmatizing Corrections: Language Matters
Date:  April 2022
A PowerPoint presentation by Ryan Thornell, PhD, Deputy Commissioner, Maine Department of Corrections regarding the use of person-first language in correctional settings. 

Person-centered Language
Date:  April 2018
The Center for Practice Transformation, a division of the University of Minnesota’s school of social work, provides clinical tips and examples to move language from deficits-based to strengths-based and person-centered language

   

Executive Leadership (policies development, decision-making, etc.)

Advances in research and technology are occurring at dizzying speed in the current environment, potentially significantly impacting the corrections profession. Leaders and policymakers must continuously be conversant with relevant advances and how and where they should be integrated into current correctional practice. 

Biometric Face Recognition: References for Policymakers
Date: December 2020
This 2020 document created by the FedID community is a discussion to inform policy makers a clear understanding and foundational insights on aspects and issues of face recognition relevant to policymakers. 

Building the Technology Ecosystem for Correctional Education:  Brief and Discussion Guide
Date: August 2022
This U.S. 2022 Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education document provides a brief discussion guide to help states develop and sustain the necessary policy, programmatic, and technical environments to expand the use of technology in correctional education.