The World Prison Brief is an online database providing free access to information on prison systems around the world. It is a unique resource, which supports evidence-based development of prison policy and practice globally.

Recruitment and retention has been one of the toughest challenges in corrections historically because of several factors. The most important reason behind this challenge is the fact that an occupation in corrections involves violence and confrontations with incarcerated individuals. Agency culture and environmental factors are directly related to retention and recruitment. Evaluating facility cultures and being mindful of generational differences are key to understanding shrinking corrections workforces.

Heading into 2022, officers and leaders in the corrections sector of law enforcement find themselves at the intersection of many familiar issues to the profession and law enforcement as a whole - recruitment and retention, officer wellness and readiness, and working conditions. While these intersecting issues in corrections have been documented and studied for decades, it is the second year of a global pandemic that has brought renewed attention and, in the best cases, an urgency to address these issues. In this article, we’ll look at how research into how these issues intersect and how unpacking those connections contributes to a more holistic understanding of corrections officers’ needs and experience on the job.

The September 2022 edition of the Chief Economists Outlook launches at a time of significant economic danger. Inflation has surged to levels not seen in a generation and expectations for growth have been pared back in all regions. Real wages and consumer confidence are in freefall, adding further headwinds to growth and even raising the prospect of social unrest. Domestically and globally, we are in uncharted waters.

The World health statistics report is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual compilation of the most recent available data on health and health-related indicators for its 194 Member States. The 2022 edition features the latest data for 50+ indicators from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO Triple billion targets. A total of 35 indicators present at least 2020 data (from comparable estimates and primary data) and 16 indicators include data between 2017 and 2019.

Financial conditions have tightened and risks to the global economy have increased as a result of the war in Ukraine. Soaring commodity prices pose challenging trade-offs for central banks. Many emerging and frontier markets are facing especially difficult conditions. In China, financial vulnerabilities remain elevated amid ongoing stress in the property sector and new COVID-19 outbreaks. Central banks should act decisively to prevent inflation from becoming entrenched without jeopardizing the recovery and address financial vulnerabilities. Policymakers should intensify their efforts to implement the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) road map while taking appropriate steps to address energy security concerns.

Financial stability risks have increased amid the highest inflation in decades and the ongoing spillovers from Russia’s war in Ukraine to European and global energy markets. Amid poor market liquidity, there is a risk that a sudden, disorderly tightening in financial conditions may interact with preexisting vulnerabilities. In emerging markets, rising rates, weak fundamentals, and large outflows have pushed up borrowing costs, particularly for frontier economies, with a heightened risk of additional defaults. In China, the property downturn has deepened as sharp declines in home sales have exacerbated pressures on developers, with heightened risks of spillovers to the financial sector.

Global economic activity is experiencing a broad-based and sharper-than-expected slowdown, with inflation higher than seen in several decades. The cost-of-living crisis, tightening financial conditions in most regions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic all weigh heavily on the outlook. Global growth is forecast to slow from 6.0 percent in 2021 to 3.2 percent in 2022 and 2.7 percent in 2023. This is the weakest growth profile since 2001 except for the global financial crisis and the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global inflation is forecast to rise from 4.7 percent in 2021 to 8.8 percent in 2022 but to decline to 6.5 percent in 2023 and to 4.1 percent by 2024. Monetary policy should stay the course to restore price stability, and fiscal policy should aim to alleviate the cost-of-living pressures while maintaining a sufficiently tight stance aligned with monetary policy. Structural reforms can further support the fight against inflation by improving productivity and easing supply constraints, while multilateral cooperation is necessary for fast-tracking the green energy transition and preventing fragmentation.

The war in Ukraine has triggered a costly humanitarian crisis that demands a peaceful resolution. At the same time, economic damage from the conflict will contribute to a significant slowdown in global growth in 2022 and add to inflation. Fuel and food prices have increased rapidly, hitting vulnerable populations in low-income countries hardest. Global growth is projected to slow from an estimated 6.1 percent in 2021 to 3.6 percent in 2022 and 2023. This is 0.8 and 0.2 percentage points lower for 2022 and 2023 than projected in January. Beyond 2023, global growth is forecast to decline to about 3.3 percent over the medium term. War-induced commodity price increases and broadening price pressures have led to 2022 inflation projections of 5.7 percent in advanced economies and 8.7 percent in emerging market and developing economies—1.8 and 2.8 percentage points higher than projected last January. Multilateral efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis, prevent further economic fragmentation, maintain global liquidity, manage debt distress, tackle climate change, and end the pandemic are essential.

Ransomware and extortion attacks have been a growing concern for individuals and organizations alike in recent years. These types of attacks involve hackers gaining unauthorized access to a computer system or network and either holding the system hostage by encrypting the data until a ransom is paid, or threatening to release sensitive information unless a ransom is paid. In addition to these types of attacks, particular attention was focused on the sale of network access on cybercrime sources, which can potentially be used by hackers to carry out ransomware and extortion attacks. This report will provide an overview of the state of ransomware and extortion attacks and network access sales in 2022, as well as evolution of trends and ways to prevent and mitigate these types of attacks.

Prisons and wider criminal justice systems have continued to invest in building their digital capacity, accelerated by need in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a context where digital literacy is recognised as critical to development and following the UN’s recognition of it as a human right in 2016, there is a growing trend to improve digital literacy among people in prison. People being released from prison must be equipped with the digital skills required to reintegrate into their communities to access social security, jobs, healthcare, and insurance, among other things. Moreover, the pandemic has driven even more parts of daily life online.

The corrections sector increasingly uses technology to provide supervision services and programs for individuals reentering the community after incarceration. Experts identified strategies for employing technology to improve reentry outcomes.

Transparency is a top priority for the Congressional Budget Office, and the agency continues to bolster its efforts to be transparent. Those efforts are intended to promote a thorough understanding of its work, help people gauge how estimates might change if policies or circumstances differed, and enhance the credibility of its analyses and processes. This report fulfills CBO’s requirement to report on its plans for such efforts.

The U.S. faces a challenging fiscal outlook according to CBO's extended baseline projections, which show budget deficits and federal debt held by the public growing steadily in relation to gross domestic product over the next three decades.

In 2021, combined state and local government total revenues were $5.7 trillion, up 33.9 percent from the 2020 value of $4.3 trillion. At 71.1 percent of the state and local government total revenues, the state and local government general revenues totaled $4.1 trillion in 2021 compared to $3.6 trillion in 2020, an increase of 12.4 percent. Insurance trust revenue ($1.5 trillion), utility revenue ($176.9 billion), and liquor store revenue ($12.8 billion) accounted for 28.9 percent ($1.7 trillion) of total revenues.

Despite narrowed gap in incarceration rates, Black people remain overrepresented in jail populations, admissions—and stay longer on average.

Staff development is a broad subject, but we can begin to tackle it by breaking it down into three areas: Training: How innovative training can develop staff not only in basic recruit training, but also in on-site and online training. Mentoring: How officers can serve as role models — and they do not all have to be training instructors, supervisors, and Field Training Officers (FTOs). Building the future: How everyone can work together to develop and retain staff — as retirements happen, staff members are prepared to take their place. Training and supervisor involvement are critical.

The global economic recovery is facing significant headwinds amid new waves of COVID-19 infections, persistent labour market challenges, lingering supply-chain challenges and rising inflationary pressures. After expanding by 5.5 per cent in 2021, the global output is projected to grow by only 4.0 per cent in 2022 and 3.5 per cent in 2023, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2022.

When looking at where these brands are based, we see that the United States and China account for 73 of the top 100 brands on the ranking. Even more surprising—just six countries make up 94% of the list. The growth of Chinese companies on the global stage is reflected in this visualization. As a point of comparison, a decade ago, only six Chinese companies made Brand Finance’s Top 100 ranking, and none of them were in the top 30 for brand value.