Corrections_Today_May_June_2019

Correctional Chaplain Perspectives

appropriate treatment while incar- cerated. 4 Adding veterans and other special populations to the mix makes treatment in the correctional-living environment tremendously complex. While mental health, addiction services and social workers do their best with the inmate population, who is watching out for the correctional officers? A comprehensive review of the literature regarding correc- tional officer safety and well-being revealed the following three distinct dangers for officers: 5 1. Work-related 2. Institution-related 3. Psycho-social Correctional supervisors and administrators are complying with departmental policy and state law, as well as running an efficient and safe facility. So, how many of them have the time, energy or training to notice how stressed their front-line staff really are? If these supervisors and administrators do notice the stress of their front-line staff, how do they deal with their own internal stress, fa- tigue and mental exhaustion? A large survey of correctional officers was re- cently conducted by the University of California, Berkeley indicates that 29 percent of the officers reported being seriously injured at work, 85 percent had seen someone else seriously injured or killed in the workplace and 50 percent rarely felt safe at work. 6 Chaplains Within the “neutral zone” be- tween staff and inmates, one can see the vital role and work of the correc- tional chaplain. It is easy to miss this consummate professional because they move from one role to another;

from staff counselor to inmate guide; without anyone noticing. How can one person, who is very human, with their own broken places in the heart, and cares so deeply – move so grace- fully in this stressful environment? The correctional chaplain, on average, has a broad educational background with many holding mas- ters and doctoral degrees. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) provides chaplains with the clinical skills to listen empathically to inmates and allow the inmates to know they have been heard and cared about. Also, CPE training allows chaplains to listen just as intently to staff who are suffering from a wide range of stressful circumstances. Chaplains truly live in that neutral zone be- tween inmates and staff, often taken for granted and sometimes misunder- stood by both. Staff sometimes see chaplains as people who “hug a thug,” and because they care about inmates and justice issues, they can be misunderstood. Inmates, likewise, broad educational background with many holding masters and doctoral degrees. The correctional chaplain, on average, has a

see chaplains talking to staff and providing counsel and relief, and sometimes judge the chaplain as untrustworthy or “just staff.” Mean- while, professional correctional chaplains continue to care about and serve both populations with passion and a deep level of care. Like all people involved in the correctional environment, chaplains also need support. Professional sup- port is offered through the American Correctional Chaplains Association (ACCA), an official affiliate of the American Correctional Association. Membership in the ACCA supports the overall mission of a “ministry of presence” and offers an oppor- tunity for correctional chaplains to host regional and national work- shops and conferences. The ACCA subscribes to a strict code of profes- sional ethics and offers three levels of certification. Every correctional administrator in the country should encourage their chaplains to become certified. Certification provides a quality control mechanism and a standard of care for a correctional facility or agency. How do you know your particular chaplain is qualified for the position? How do you know they attended an accredited school? How do you know your chaplains are true professionals who comply with accepted standards of care? Most of the time, you simply do not know because this is such a specialized and professional field of expertise. If providing staff and inmates with the necessary services to make an inmate population calm and staff a bit safer is important, certification with the ACCA is essential. ACCA cer- tification ensures a chaplain’s work will be held to the highest ethical and

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