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Effective staff scheduling is one way relationships. A career in criminal
justice often forces personnel to
miss holidays, birthdays, school and
administrators can help officers sports activities, and other impor-
tant milestones. This can lead to
a stressful home life that not only
maintain mental well-being. adds difficulty to managing life,
but it can also impair an officer’s
ability to effectively perform his or
her job. Offering scheduling options
There are also some concrete responsibility of protecting them- that give officers more days off
pressures that prevent public safety selves and their fellow officers each month and the ability to have
professionals from asking for help. all come with the job. There are, input in setting their schedules
In some corrections facilities, for however, some work-related stress can alleviate some stress and show
example, officers who articulate factors that can be identified and officers that administrators support
feelings of depression may lose controlled. a healthy home life.
security clearance. Much of correctional officers’ Building schedules in advance
These actions only increase anxi- stress can be attributed to their also helps officers plan future
ety and lead to further emotional demanding work schedules, often events such as vacations and family
stress. Before taking action, correc- characterized by long hours, under- time. Some software developed
tions administrators should conduct staffing issues, and excessive over- for employee scheduling allows
thorough evaluations when officers time. This leads to officer fatigue, supervisors to create schedules for
acknowledge or demonstrate signs which is a major contributor to their any time frame and copy schedule
of stress or depression. In addition, mental—and physical—well-being. patterns and rotations far into the
the officers should be involved Administrators should con- future.
in the process of determining the duct proactive staffing analyses to Correctional facilities can also
necessary steps to get the support determine their facility’s appropri- sponsor family-friendly events for
they need. This helps to foster ate staffing levels. In the wake of their employees. This gives officers
mutual trust and gives the officer a the ongoing pandemic and recent the opportunity to spend time with
feeling of empowerment during a civil unrest, administrators need their spouses and children, and
time when they may otherwise feel to reevaluate their requirements to provides administrators with a way
vulnerable. accommodate their facility’s “new to connect with their staff outside of
Incorporating anti-stigma normal.” the jail or prison walls.
education into employee training To ensure their correctional facil- Corrections administrators play
also helps facilitate a supportive ity is sufficiently staffed for each a critical role in helping officers and
culture, and can play a critical role shift, many administrators have employees manage stress levels. A
in how officers cope with mental adopted an employee scheduling facility that provides mental health
health issues. Areas of concentra- software that can calculate staffing awareness, anti-stigma practices,
tion include basic understanding needs according to their facility’s and flexible scheduling, and sup-
of mental illness, effective com- specific requirements. This allows ports a healthy home life will posi-
munication, and conflict resolution supervisors to instantly see whether tively impact its employees’ overall
skills. Effective internal anti-stigma there are too many or too few staff mental well-being. 
training may also improve offi- members scheduled. Software with
cers’ decision-making processes an integrated messaging system
when they encounter inmates who also allows supervisors to immedi- Steve Lynk lives in Fargo, North
exhibit signs of mental or emotional ately contact employees to fill open Dakota, and served on the Fargo Police
problems. shifts or to meet demands for addi- Department for 30 years. He held
several positions within the department,
tional manpower. This also helps including patrol officer, sergeant, and
Manage the Schedule to ensure officers have the backup lieutenant. He retired from the police
Some factors that contribute they need in an emergency. department in 2015 and is currently
to officer stress simply can’t be the Senior Law Enforcement Account
Executive at Atlas Business Solutions,
eliminated. Physical altercations, Get Personal Inc. He can contacted at
exposure to substance abuse and Work life directly impacts cor- slynk@scheduleanywhere.com.
infectious diseases, and the intense rectional officers’ personal lives and

20 | JULY | AUGUST 2021 AMERICANJails