Corrections_Today_May_June_2019

Professional Development

certification Spotlight

How to work in a brutal environment without becoming a “brute”

By Arnela Hadzisulejmanovic

O n behalf of ACA, I want to express a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you working in the correctional field. Your service is tremendously appreciated, and your bravery and dedication are admired. While both the certification and recertification programs are designed to advance the overall knowledge of practitioners in the corrections field, I would like to encourage you to see the recertification program as an opportunity to recharge your batter- ies and focus on empowering your mental strength and taking care of yourself through different activities. As a former correctional officer, I know as a correctional professional that you see, hear and experience things that may be tremendously heavy for the heart and mind. And yet, you are still expected to carry out the policies and rules of your facility in a professional way to individuals at their worst stage. Year after year, you take classes that teach you how to be a vital part of the process for delivering care to those who are in- carcerated. In that time, how often do

professional development to be very important, so please don’t forget that while we do have and demand re- quirements for recertification, we are also here to support you every step of the way. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or other members of our professional development department and ask questions about earning re- certification credits for activities that may not be specified on our webpage. We can help you get in touch with other facilities from our nation-wide network of resources and individuals who have developed creative activi- ties that will enhance the productivity, efficiency and effectiveness for you as an individual, as well as your agency. Once again, a heartfelt thank you for your service, and please be safe.

As a former correctional officer, I know as a correctional

professional that you see, hear and

experience things that may be tremendously heavy for the heart and mind.

you focus on yourself? How do you maintain being firm, fair and consis- tent despite experiencing violence and conflict without breaking down? If these issues are not taken care of, corrections professionals will de- velop negative feelings such as greed, peer pressure, burnout, ego, revenge, jealousy and anger. These types of feelings often lead to unethical, sometimes even illegal behavior that jeopardize the security of the whole facility and, by extension, society. Therefore, ACA finds self-care and

Arnela Hadzisulejmanovic is a certification specialist with the

American Correctional Association. If you are interested in pursuing recertification or have any questions, please contact us at acaprodev@aca.org for more information.

104 — May/June 2019 Corrections Today