Local budgets have been extremely challenged and strained over the last few years as many communities are experiencing lower and lower tax revenues with each passing year. As a result, one of the first items in any budget that get cut is typically training. Both in bringing in instructors to provide training, and in paying staff overtime and back-fill to attend. Other than required professional training, the department has struggled to bring in and provide what we feel are critical training needs for the health and well-being of correctional staff, inmates, and operational environment from which they work and live on a daily basis.
Jails and community corrections environments are typically high turnover, high stress and confrontational environments that can really take a toll on correctional staff and the inmates we serve. On a daily basis it seems that it is a constant game of chess between the correctional staff and the inmates where correctional officers and support staff are trying to maintain a healthy and safe environment for the inmates who in turn seem to be looking to tip that balance in favor of anarchy and chaos.
In Escambia County, staff turnover is high, filling critical positions is challenging, and having staff shortages on shifts is becoming more and more common. And when you add that constant daily battle between inmate and correctional staff, the work and living environment of staff and inmates slowly come to a boil. The department is in dire need of training that will help provide the tools, knowledge, and awareness for staff to be able to more effectively manage their working environment, their personal well-being, recognize when others may be in need, to help improve and enhance the operational health and safety environment for the betterment of the correctional officers and inmates. Though we have little of this type of training, you certainly can never have enough of it.
N/A
Please check the box next to the following questions if the answer is 'yes'.
Please enter the applicable Event Date if there is an Event associated with this TTA.
When entering an Event Date, the Time is also required.
If the TTA is targeted to a particular audience or location, please complete the questions below.
Milestones are an element, activity, work product, or key task associated with completing the TTA (e.g. kick-off meeting, collect data from stake holders, deliver initial data analysis).
Please complete the fields below, if applicable, to create a milestone for this TTA.
Please respond to the Performance Metrics below. The Performance Metrics questions are based on the TTA Type indicated in the General Information section of the TTA.
• Knowledge and skills in how to recognize and manage various confrontational situations safety and effectively.
• Knowledge and skills in how to recognize and manage personal mental and physical health and well-being.
• Tools and skills for the department to have trained teams and staff that can recognize, address, and support other
staff or inmates that may be in need of mental or physical health support as a result of stress or other factors.
• Tools and skills for staff to help enhance the health and safety of the facilities and operations by applying techniques
in managing confrontation and stress between any combination of interaction between inmates and correctional
staff.
• Tools and skills that will create better customer service for correctional staff.
• Tools and skills in how to identify and properly manage mental health inmates with a better understanding of mental
health needs of those individuals.
• Tools and skills that will ultimately :
o Improve the working environment for correctional staff.
o Improve moral
o Reduce staffing turnover rates
o Reduce staff call-outs
o Increase positive career perceptions
o Reduce injuries
o Improve mental health and physical health of staff
Please submit a signed letter of support from your agency’s executive or other senior staff member. The letter can be emailed to or uploaded with this request. The letter should be submitted on official letterhead and include the following information:
- General information regarding the request for TTA services, i.e., the who, what, where, when, and why.
- The organizational and/or community needs specific to the request for TTA services.
- The benefits or anticipated outcomes from the receipt of TTA services.
By submitting this application to BJA NTTAC, I understand that upon approval of this application for TTA, the requestor agrees to keep BJA NTTAC informed of any circumstances that may impact the delivery of the TTA, including changes in the date of the event, event cancellation, or difficulties communicating with the assigned TTA provider.
Please call [site:phone] if you need further assistance completing this application.