When I became Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) in 2019, I had already spent nearly two decades with the department, serving as a caseworker, probation and parole officer, unit manager, deputy warden and warden.
Connected, intelligent communications systems can reduce operational strain and increase safety within facilities. | Photo Credit: Securus Technologies By Jessica Lust and Melanie Sankaran Correctional agencies have long invested heavily…
As correctional and public safety systems continue to grapple with opioid use disorder (OUD) among justice and corrections clientele, a growing number of agencies are rethinking how treatment fits into daily operations.
Imagine being in a town of approximately 2,000 people and, suddenly, you have no water.
Like many sectors of the architecture, engineering and construction industries, corrections work is often led by longtime industry veterans, who lean on decades of experience and dozens of completed projects in their roles.
True reform can be difficult to achieve in corrections. Whether hindered by budgetary or legislative constraints, constantly rotating leadership, lack of public support or deep-seated, department-wide resistance to change, ambitious attempts to transform systems are all-too-often tabled for a continuation of the status quo.
In the first two articles in this series — The Detention Owner’s Fork in the Road: Five Exit Paths That Define Your Legacy — Not Just Your Valuation and The Corporate Shield: How Correctional Business Owners Protect the Enterprise While Building Optionality — we explored two foundational questions facing correctional industry business owners: Where are you going? And how do you protect the enterprise along the way?
Body-worn cameras in correctional facilities are doing the critical work of collecting high-quality video and audio evidence — and much more.
When justice populations expand and operations broaden, many communities must decide whether to either renovate existing buildings or invest in replacements — often balancing nuanced decision-making against tight timelines and limited resources.
In recent years, correctional systems across the country have expanded the use of digital tablets to increase access to rehabilitative and educational programming, strengthen connections with the outside world, reduce idleness among incarcerated populations, and as a result, more agencies are recognizing the significant benefits this technology can provide.
Recognizing longtime and emerging industry leaders.
Winners announced at annual Corrections Summit.
