Corrections gets judged by headlines it didn’t write, so I’m taking you behind the scenes of a month that reminded me why this profession deserves real respect. From Correctional Officers Week events to national recognition, I share the moments that felt like the “best of corrections” and the lessons we can bring back to our own agencies.

We start at the One Voice United conference (link below), where I join Pete Bludworth (Corrections Unfiltered) and Sarah Robuck (Lexipol and Corrections1) to talk about our jobs and our voices. If we don’t tell the truth about what correctional officers do, nature abhors a vacuum, and the public story gets filled with TV myths, one-sided news, and silence about the good work happening inside facilities. We also dig into wellness in corrections, efforts to get lawmakers to walk through prisons before setting policy on staffing and funding, and a powerful account from New York’s union leadership caught between political pressure and officers pushed past the breaking point.

Then we pivot to the stories many people never hear: the role correctional staff played during 9/11 recovery, and how corrections shows up in emergencies with resources and readiness. I also talk about practical support for staff, including a vendor focused on home loans for public servants that explicitly includes corrections, and the National Medal of Honor for Corrections banquet, where courage and service are honored on a national stage. 

One of the vendors I met at OVU (link below) is a company that is working to get public service heroes, including correctional officers, into houses. American Hero Home Loans uses its Hero Advantage+™ to connect eligible heroes with trusted real estate, lending, title, settlement, insurance, and home service partners.  

We close with training and leadership: field training insights from the Southeast Field Training Officers Association (SEFTOA - link below).  I also share with a new leadership class my framework for handling change by reframing fear and walking through the next door of their life with skill and confidence.

If you care about corrections leadership, correctional officer wellness, and changing public perception of corrections, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with a coworker, and leave a review so more staff can find these stories.

One Voice United & The National Medal of Honor for Corrections https://onevoiceunited.org/

American Heroes Home Loans
Corrections Webpage:
ahhlusa.com/corrections

AHHL Flyer:
https://canva.link/theprisonofficer 

Joe Ferraro
Founder & CEO
American Heroes Homes and Lending
631-767-9073
[email protected] or [email protected]

Angela Harren
Director of Business Development & Marketing
American Heroes Homes and Lending
612-423-4423
[email protected]

Southeastern Field Training Officers Association

https://seftoa.org/

For my new book: Weight of Justice: Leadership Lessons from Inside America's Toughest Prisons: A Correctional Officer's Journey

Michael Cantrell's books: https://www.cantrellwrites.com/

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4utqUSO

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