Transformation
Through Staff Engagement
In order to achieve the mission of making prison a place of transformation, attention must be given to the workforce that operates and leads these facilities. Recruitment and retention problems continue to rise to critical levels. The workforce is already strained by low pay, low prestige, high overtime, and high trauma exposure. Therefore, Fourth Purpose Foundation is developing tools and resources designed to invest in the personhood of the staff. This aims to help them build resilience, find a sense of meaning in their work. In turn, this encourages a workplace culture that leads to better inmate outcomes and improved staff wellbeing.
Micro Lessons
Each video provides short, creative, and impactful ways to reinforce the value of correctional staff.
There are additional teaching resources associated with each video. These resources are designed to create further dialogue and reinforce the themes of the video. Each downloadable .zip file contains the support elements listed below.**
Read Me File
Infographic
Discussion Questions
Video File
Expert Commentary
**Elements may vary according to lesson.
Prison has a Purpose
Valorization
The Power of Words
Burnout
Heroes
The Value of Volunteers
A Note From Our Chief Research Officer
I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but you can count on our resources to be science-based and research-based. In my role at Fourth Purpose, I research best practices that will elevate the U.S. Corrections System, leading to better outcomes for both inmates and staff. I bring my own corrections experience to the table, as well as theological training and a medical/mental health background (I know, a strange, but surprisingly useful combination).
a note from our chief research officer
I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but you can count on our resources to be science-based and research-based. In my role at Fourth Purpose, I research best practices that will elevate the U.S. Corrections System, leading to better outcomes for both inmates and staff. I bring my own corrections experience to the table, as well as theological training and a medical/mental health background (I know, a strange, but surprisingly useful combination).
FAQ
If you do not see your question here, feel free to reach out to us.
We want to help in any way we can.
Is there any cost associated with the course?
What if I have technical problems accessing the materials?
Is this wellness program applicable for staff who work in settings other than adult prisons? (i.e. juvenile detention centers, jails, etc.)?
Yes. The research is centered around adult correctional settings, but the interventions offered apply to anyone who works with people in any kind of custody.
Since the material is free, why do I have to enroll and obtain a login to gain access?
By creating a profile, you are acknowledging our legal disclaimer, and recognizing that each component of the courses are part of a larger bank of content. We also want to capture the information of participants, and allow our users an avenue to provide feedback, share experiences, and be able to speak into future content creation.
Does my enrollment mean that Fourth Purpose will flood my inbox with emails?
Fourth Purpose will not use your login information to generate unsolicited emails.
Is Fourth Purpose willing to deliver in-person training?
Our team can offer support and guidance via zoom, phone call, or email, but any in-person training would need to be negotiated, subject to remuneration and availability.
Notes From The Field
“Dr. Kristi Anderson has provided an insider’s view to the staff challenges of today’s correctional environment as well as offered valuable solutions to these challenges. Fourth Purpose has recognized the correctional mission cannot be accomplished without focusing on the critical needs of our correctional staff and I am proud of the investment we at Fourth Purpose are making in the greatest resource in corrections; our staff!”
Tony Parker
Former Tennessee Commissioner | ACA President
“Wellness and all it encompasses has never been more important to every staff member in corrections. The pandemic and its recovery has only heightened issues which were already brewing. The Values-Based Wellness Plan should be reviewed by every correctional administrator to provide solutions. Correctional employees fight the good fight every day, but we have to provide them tools to question how we can fight smarter. Fourth Purpose Values-Based Wellness plan is a great start.”
Arthur Beeler
ACA Board of Governors | Duke University | North Carolina Central University
For far too long corrections professionals have not focused enough attention on our staff as it relates to their mental and physical well- being. Fourth Purpose is helping to improve staff wellness by providing high quality resources that are available at no cost to all correctional agencies and employees. 4th purpose is the real deal, they produce free quality content that is aimed at improving our culture, our staff and our profession and they do it because they care.
Bryan Collier
Executive Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Values-Based Wellness training teaches enhanced mental health components to correctional staff. As I worked through the material, I felt better prepared to detect burnout and stress. I hope to be able to share that knowledge with others. Dr. Anderson and her team have done a great job creating this much-needed content for the often difficult and challenging field of corrections. I look forward to seeing the impact of Values-Based Wellness on a healthy workforce.
Jennifer Boyd
Staff Learning and Development Administrator at Tennessee Department of Correction
I found the instructor guide, slide decks, training assets (handouts) and videos to be thorough and comprehensive; yet easy to navigate and instruct… very fluid to follow. I love that the material has a global industry feel…”non-agency specific” enough to be beneficial for use by any agency without modification; yet written with a laser focused message for all correctional professionals. Any agency could adopt this material and very easily incorporate/structure it as a stand-alone course for new employees, in service students, or a specialized delivery.
J. H. DeBell
Bureau Chief | Bureau of Professional Development and Training Florida Dept of Corrections
Scott R. Landry
Associate Commissioner, Maine Department of Corrections
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“For Correctional Agencies that are serious about transforming lives, staff wellness and culture change, Fourth Purpose offers invaluable and high quality resources in support of your work at no cost. The Maine Department of Corrections is benefiting greatly from Fourth Purposes training resources and I believe the work of Fourth Purpose is helping to shape a new correctional “best practice” for the field.”