Last week, Correctional News recapped the first two sessions of the Evolving Spaces: Creating Spaces that Work Symposium, presented Feb. 8 during the American Correctional Association’s 2026 Winter Conference in Long Beach, Calif.
On Feb. 8, during the final day of the American Correctional Association’s 2026 Winter Conference in Long Beach, Calif., attendees gathered for the annual Evolving Spaces: Creating Spaces that Work Symposium.
Merci Wood was named the Deputy Division Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Rehabilitation and Reentry Division in October of 2025.
Across the country, sheriffs, wardens and jail administrators are actively redefining what effective corrections looks like. Today’s leading facilities are prioritizing safety, accountability and preparation for reentry, recognizing that jails are not just places of custody, but critical environments for intervention, structure and long-term community impact.
Last month, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Oklahoma Monarch Society announced their partnership on the new Pathways for Pollinators and People initiative, which seeks to engage the incarcerated population in monarch conservation, education and art.
For much of modern corrections history, facilities were built around steel.
Earlier this month, officials in Hawaii announced the latest changes to the design of the new jail facility that will replace the aging Oahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) in urban Honolulu.
In early 2025, Correctional News announced the publication’s first-ever 30 Over 30 Years Experience List, honoring 30 long-time leaders, as well as the Next-Generation Trailblazers Award, recognizing professionals with 10 years of justice/corrections experience or fewer.
In the corrections field, there aren’t many one-size-fits-all solutions.
Part I of this article on focused on how behavioral health facility planners balance safety and care considerations, and how embracing therapeutic design principles instead of reinforcing punitive environments can improve outcomes for inmates and staff alike.
Recognizing longtime and emerging industry leaders.
Winners announced at annual Corrections Summit.
