In Midst of Recent Tragedy, Safety Remains Paramount in Correctional Settings
By Lindsey Coulter
On Dec. 27, the Prison Violence Consortium released two policy briefs outlining the findings of a study aimed at understanding prison violence as well as recommendations for reducing and preventing violence in correctional facilities.
The briefs — “The Dark Figure of Prison Violence: A Multi-Strategy Approach to Uncovering the Prevalence of Prison Violence” and “Sources and Consequences of Prison Violence: Key Findings and Recommendations from the Prison Violence Consortium” — note that prison violence remains a significant yet underreported issue in the U.S. criminal justice system, leading to unsafe conditions for both incarcerated persons and staff.
“Our work aims to shift the paradigm in how prison violence is understood, addressed and, most critically, prevented,” the authors noted in statement published by the University of California Irvine. “By providing a nuanced, data-driven perspective on this complex issue, we hope to catalyze meaningful changes in policy and practice. The ultimate goal is not just to reduce violence within correctional facilities, but to contribute to a more just, humane and effective criminal justice system overall.”
An Industry Tragedy
The research comes just days after the correctional and justice community learned of the death of Correctional Officer Andrew Lansing on Dec. 25. Lansing was killed by an inmate while on duty at Ross Correctional Center in Ohio, a tragedy that reminds the industry of the ongoing need for critical conversation and action regarding safety for all people working in or detained in carceral settings.
As the correctional community bands together in support for fallen officer Lansing and his loved ones, for leaders such as Rob Jeffreys, director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services and president of the Correctional Leaders Association, the potential for violence and the safety of all under his purview and care, remains a constant concern.
“There’s nothing that can prepare you for losing a staff member in the line of duty, it’s a heavy weight,” said Jeffreys said.
As the State of Nebraska is also in the midst of developing a new and modern correctional facility to replace the aging Nebraska State Penitentiary, more effective approaches to safety and security have been top of mind for Jeffreys, who is using the opportunity to push for innovations in design and construction as well as policy and philosophy.
“As a correctional leader, when you go through unfortunate incidents you learn to improve the next building moving forward,” Jeffreys said. “We have to take into consideration the workforce and being intentional in talking with the people in boots on the ground. They have to have a say in what works for them or what does not. The correctional officers and union representatives need to be included in design conversations as well.”
Seeking Solutions
This position is also supported by Chicago Beyond, a national philanthropic organization that aims to drive equitable change in thejustice community (and beyond) — approaches its work with the understanding that meaningful and lasting solutions to significant challenges only arise when the people who are closest to the issue are part of the conversation. The organization is headed by Nneka Jones Tapia, Psy.D., managing director of justice initiatives for Chicago Beyond and new Editorial Advisory Board member for Correctional News, who has also worked closely with Jeffreys in the development of the Nebraska prison. Additionally, Jeffreys has referenced Chicago Beyond’s organization’s Holistic Safety Framework, which provides a model for how correctional administrators can increase physical and psychological safety for people in correctional systems.
In 2024, Chicago Beyond also published the second edition of the resource “Do I Have the Right to Feel Safe?” Predicated on creating the conditions for all community members — inside and outside of correctional walls — to be and feel safe, the resource articulates the Holistic Safety Framework and includes input from people formerly incarcerated as well as current and former correctional staff members and administrators.
For Jeffreys, the balance lies in creating an environment that not only safely and securely houses and rehabilitates people, but that also functions as a good and safe work environment.
“This is a conversation we had in the design of our new facility,” Jeffreys said. “We’re building facilities to house people and to hold people securely. By default, it’s going to have walls, but we can also focus on designing better lines of sight, more visualization, more windows.”
Like many departments of corrections, the Nebraska DOC is using its new project to invest in new design approaches as well as new security technology. This includes hardwired cameras and building alarms, including door- and motion-activated cameras, as well as body alarms. However, Jeffreys stresses that these solutions must be paired with real-time monitoring and not just incorporated during incident reviews.
Added Stressors
While the correctional community is rallying around its colleagues in light of the recent tragedy, another less often discussed stressor in a correctional setting is the employee’s experience of returning to work after a violent incident. While Blue Rooms and decompression spaces for inmates have become more common in correctional settings, Jeffreys notes that staff members also benefit from dedicated spaces to recover from stressful events. He also advocates for establishing standardized policy that requires staff members that have experienced an incident of violence to take time off or work in other areas of the facility before returning to their standard position.
“[Correctional officers] have one of the most stressful jobs in the profession of criminal justice, so there needs to be a holistic approach to decompression and wellness,” Jeffreys said. “That’s been a very intentional movement not just here in Nebraska, but across the nation.”
Correctional News looks forward to continuing to help drive important conversations about staff and inmate safety and wellness in 2025. WMH Media extends its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of CO Andrew Lansing, who have established a memorial fund in his honor.