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| Safe & Sane |
| By Caterina Spinaris Tudor , Ph.D. |
| Published: 06/29/2009 |
If you ask me what I think are the two most
important focus points for effective functioning
in corrections, I’d have to say that the two
top ones are SAFETY and SANITY. And
these two are interdependent. If you don’t
have safety, there goes your sanity. And if you
don’t have sanity, you can forget about safety.
The corrections workplace cannot operate effectively without a sufficient degree of staff safety. Safety helps staff survive not only physically, but also psychologically. Lack of safety contributes to psychological distress and even disorders, such as generalized anxiety, panic and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. On the other hand, to perform safely on the job, staff must be “sane enough.” By that I mean that staff needs to be reasonably well psychologically. They have to be able to manage their emotions and motivate themselves when the going gets tough. They must also be able to withstand and manage conflict without cowering or becoming aggressive. Additionally, they need to be flexible and resourceful enough to be able to switch from the work mindset to that of the free world when at home, and back to work mode when they report once again to their facilities. Yes, safety and sanity are vital in corrections. Yet they both are in the crosshairs. How so? Much of what I’ll say you may have thought about already. If so, let’s indulge in some repetition and a few reminders. Undermining safety is always the goal of some inmates. Employee complacency and short-staffing threaten safety further. Sanity also takes a hit in many ways in the corrections workplace. Surrounded by felons 24/7, correctional employees are exposed to violence, injury and death much more than the average citizen, perhaps more than law enforcement officers on the street. Security concerns and exposure to traumatic incidents cause staff hypervigilance, anxiety or even terror. Cooped up during their working hours, staff essentially is doing time alongside the inmates in 8+hour shifts. Also, there is not much joy, optimism, beauty and compassion in corrections, all key contributors to mental health. Instead, surrounded by toxic clouds of negativity, fear, anger, hate and grief, staff gradually get increasingly more poisoned. And—Catch 22—seeking help is often seen in corrections as a sign of “weakness.” Corrections staff have to work hard to maintain their health and wellness in every way—physically, psychologically and spiritually. Doing so is like pedaling uphill. If you ignore your well-being—if you only want to coast—you’ll be going downhill. The aim of DWCO is to challenge, inspire and encourage corrections personnel to think about their own and their colleagues’ well-being, and their families’ welfare also. I’d like to hear your ideas about improving staff wellness in the corrections workplace and shedding the perilous belief that seeking help from friends, family or professionals is a sign of weakness. Visit the Caterina Tudor page |
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