The Correctional Training Facility (CTF) recently hosted a staff wellness event in the Facility C Gym.
Acting Warden Edward J. Borla emphasized the importance of staff wellness.
“In aligning with the CDCR California Model, we at CTF deeply understand the critical nature of staff wellness. Given the sobering reality that the average life expectancy of a correctional officer is only 59 years, largely due to the intense stressors inherent in this profession, our commitment to enhancing staff well-being is not just a priority, but a necessity. By focusing on holistic wellness, we aim to create a safer, more supportive environment, reflecting the transformative vision of the California Model.”
The staff wellness event reflected CDCR’s vision for the California Model, focusing on holistic well-being, trauma-informed care, while transforming the correctional environment.
The training provided insights from the Compassion Prison Project and the Why’d You Stop Me (WYSM) Program.
The Compassion Prison Project’s eight-part Correctional Officer Trauma-Responsive Training is particularly relevant, focusing on the impact of trauma on mental, physical, and emotional health.
This program aims to create an environment based on safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
How? By addressing the devastating effects of childhood trauma and its impacts on the brain, body, and spirit.
The program incorporates practices like emotion-focused therapy, meditation, somatic experiencing, mindfulness, yoga, and other methods to help participants move out of fight/flight/freeze and into a regulated state. By doing this, self-compassion, creativity, community, and hope are all possible.
WYSM was created by Jason Lehman, a retired Sergeant and subject matter expert in community policing. The program is designed to enhance safety and improve interactions between the police and the public.
They incorporate thought-stimulating discussions, personal perspectives, and scenario-based exercises, challenging the status quo and engaging participants in 21st-century learning and leadership development.
The training provided by WYSM covers a wide range of topics relevant to law enforcement and correctional officers.
Some of the classes include:
- Community Policing in the 21st Century
- De-escalation
- Battling Bias through Relationship-Building
- and Making Corrections
The classes address the complex challenges faced by officers today. These courses are designed to foster effective decision-making, improve police legitimacy through deeper community engagement, and discuss institutionalized behaviors that jeopardize safety inside jails and prisons.
Additionally, the WYSM wellness classes focus on critical aspects like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Injury recovery. These acknowledge the mental and physical health challenges inherent in law enforcement and correctional work. Such training is vital for addressing the psychological and emotional stresses that officers frequently encounter.
Submitted by Lt. Wil Landrum, AA/PIO
Correctional Training Facility