Correction Officer Training

Do DOC correction officers receive special trainings for Young Adults?

Yes. To ensure safety, the Department has committed to providing:

• Safe Crisis Management Training (SCM) for “all staff assigned to steady posts with Young Adults” (See January 2016 YA report);
• Specialized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) training for “staff that will be working in the alternative housing units (Second Chance, TRU and a new Secure Unit)” (See DOC January 2016 YA report);
• Direct Supervision and Supervision of Adolescents  (for new staff only, see DOC August 2018 YA report); and
• Effective Communication/Motivational Strategies (ECMS). “ECMS will be rolled out to staff working with the young adult population, starting with YA-ESH staff…We anticipate this new training will begin in the spring of 2019” (See DOC October 2018 update)

SCM & CBT

According to DOC’s December 2018 monthly YA report, 65% of DOC’s correction officers were trained in SCM, however only 23% of all correction officers were up to date with their training as of December 2018. It is not clear whether the 23% of trained officers represent all officers assigned to work steady posts where YAs are housed. For SCM trainings across five facilities (AMKC, EMTC, OBCC, RNDC, RMSC) select the graph to learn more:

The way in which DOC tracks the trainings of all correction officers has made it difficult to report information on SCM and CBT trainings. In the August 2018 YA report, the Department stated that SCM metrics for officers working with the YA population will be provided “once a system is in place to capture the requisite metrics.”

The Department currently does not report on CBT training (or other specialized YA trainings) in a format that is useful to understanding the implementation of officer trainings over time.

Direct Supervision, Supervision of Adolescents, and ECMS

The Department currently does not report on the officers trained in direct supervision, supervision of adolescents, or ECMS.

Department of Correction’s Young Adult Housing Monthly Progress Reports
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/boc/reports/department-of-correction-reports.page