BJA Training Academy Resources

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National Scan

The National Scan report is a comprehensive scan of state corrections academies, including national surveys, curriculum reviews of 13 states, and on-site observations of nine state corrections academies. Individual interviews, research, and review of other submitted documents are included.

Download National Scan

Observations include:

1. Curriculum design and integration of emerging challenges

Lack of integration of adult learning
Inconsistent needs assessment
Unstructured on-the-job training (OJT)
Ineffective staff-to-student ratios
Unbalanced instructional focus
Curriculum development gap
Inconsistent, if any, physical training requirements
Varied responsiveness to staff and population

2. Delivery and building capacity

Onboarding challenges with residential training
Inconsistent application of virtual training
Ineffective training environments
Insufficient funding

3. Expanding the training audience

Lack of job task analysis that compromises OJT
Imbalanced influence on training councils or boards
Varied training audience
Varied training hours

4. Evaluating training outcomes

Lack of training evaluation
Lack of trainer development
Lack of professional development

5. Wellness and fitness for duty

Misalignment of agency mission
Lack of formal wellness program
Lack of supervisory training
Reduced hiring requirements

Training Evaluation

This 2.5-hour, three-module webinar is for individuals working in training units or assisting in curriculum development. The modules build off each other and include developing a personalized training evaluation and analyzing data to show a return on investment for training.

Observations showed very little training evaluation, which was beyond the level-one evaluation. In fact, there was little understanding of effective evaluation and how to use the information beyond how the facilitator was received.

The three modules are as follows:

Module 1: WHAT is an outcomes-based evaluation, and WHY is it important
Module 2: HOW to design your own outcomes-based training evaluation an WHEN to implement
Module 3: Introductory data collection and analysis of outcomes-based evaluation

The training also comes with seven resource handouts:

Watch the Webinar:

Guiding Principles

In response to the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) 2019 Comprehensive Corrections Training and Technical Assistance solicitation, The Moss Group, LLC. (TMG) was selected to conduct a national scan as part of the Improving Institutional Corrections Academy Training cooperative agreement. As trusted partners in criminal justice and corrections, TMG has spent over two decades dedicated to helping state, local, federal, and private organizations achieve organizational excellence in corrections. This includes developing strategic solutions to sensitive issues facing correctional administrators, executives, and leaders.

The guiding principles are intended to provide a framework for best practices in the field to ensure staff receive the highest caliber training available. Similar to other Department of Justice projects, this body of work results in a tool to organize priorities for a contemporary correctional training academy. Without the guidance and participation of the National Steering Committee, these guiding principles would not be possible.

Download the Guiding Principles

Additional tools to guide you in implementing the guiding principles:

Supervisor Training

The two-and-one-half-day First Line Supervisor training is designed to support custody and non-custody correctional professionals promoted to supervisor positions within the last year and in adult institutions. A benefit of today’s blended training model with diverse correctional professionals is the ability to blend cohort groups, incorporating the importance and interdependence of each job within the system, regardless of their position classification or placement within a particular agency. This collective experience helps people promoted into supervisory positions and new hires learn one consistent message about the vision, mission, and values of the organization and the agency’s expectations.

Participants can work in the same or separate facilities with similar missions, sizes, and needs of the population. It is recommended that participants receive prerequisite training in basic communication skills and de-escalation techniques. The training package includes the training presentation, a facilitator guide, and a participant guide.

We encourage agencies to review the curriculum materials with a multi-disciplinary team of staff, including executive leaders, training leaders, correctional uniform staff, and non-uniform staff, to ensure the foundation of the training meets the agency’s vision, mission, and values.

Downloads:

First Line Supervisor Training Presentation
Facilitator Guide
Participant Guide

Adult Learning

This short, animated video educates viewers on adult learning and the importance of correctional training environments to enhance retention and implementation. Site observations found a gap in integrating adult learning principles into basic correctional training and a lack of understanding of what it is and its importance in training by executive-level leaders.

E-courses

Integration of Adult Learning e-Course 

A common theme observed during site visits is integrating adult learning into training. This self-paced e-course will assist the learner in integrating adult learning into the curriculum. 

This course provides background on the project and explains why this topic was needed. There is a discussion about retention rates and how people learn, specifically adult learners. The next section discusses considerations while developing curriculum, incorporating learning styles, and the four areas of learning. Through these sections, various methods are used: clicking boxes, hovering, flipping a box for more information, etc. The next section introduces examples of active engagement opportunities and effectively building scenario-based training with a brief discussion on gamification. The final section ties the learning environment to retention and safety, and resources are offered at the end of the course. 

If you are interested in hosting this course on your own LMS, please reach out to Shannon Murphy, Senior Project Manager, at smurphy@mossgroup.us.

Surveys

View from the Line – Correctional Officers’ Perceptions of Training and Organizational Values

TMG’s Steering Committee of subject matter experts helped develop the corrections staff survey. To ensure a comprehensive scan, we developed and delivered a targeted online survey to officers in different career stages throughout multiple states, including Texas (n = 248 officers), Michigan (n = 112 officers), Maine (n = 22 officers), South Carolina (n = 96 officers), and Maryland (n = 14

officers).

In total, 528 officers participated in our survey request. The survey was designed to gather qualitative and quantitative responses from a wide variety of participants within the corrections workforce. It included questions to assess perceptions of training, values, and prison climate. Responses were collected from November 2022 through June 2023.

View from the Line – Training Directors: A Survey to Develop Guidance on Correctional Training Needs 

TMG’s Steering Committee of subject matter experts helped develop the training director survey. To ensure a comprehensive scan, we developed and delivered a targeted online survey to training academy directors in all 50 states through the Correctional Leadership Association (CLA), Association of Women Executives in Corrections (AWEC), and other stakeholder partners. The survey was designed to gather qualitative and quantitative responses from training leaders in the corrections field. It included questions to assess

Additional Guidance

Considerations for Effective Instructional Design

The Considerations for Effective Instructional Design is guidance developed for correctional training academies to consider effective instructional design concepts