These efforts are paying off in measurable ways.

• Quarterly Pulse Surveys: Developed to provide a better understanding of organizational health, the quarterly pulse survey monitors state agencies' efforts to make improvements in areas such as direction, leadership, accountability, motivation and external orientation. Since 2018, the Missouri Department of Corrections has experienced a higher rate of improvement than any other state agency in most areas, and survey results show huge gains in leadership, direction and motivation. Staff feel good about their work.
• Civil Rights Unit: As part of the Office of Professional Standards, the Civil Rights Unit tracks and investigates allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and unprofessional conduct and provides related statewide training for all employees. Since 2018, civil rights complaints have declined significantly, with 40% fewer complaints filed in the first half of 2022 than in the first half of 2018. Staff are treating one another with respect.
• Wellness: As the department continues to find and create resources and programs that promote staff wellness, more and more of our teammates are choosing to participate. Visits to the wellness resource page continue to rise, as does enrollment in programs designed to provide support for team members who have experienced trauma. Staff are taking care of themselves.
• Staffing Levels: The department continues to recruit, hire and retain new staff. In the first half of 2022, correctional officer applications increased by 260%, with 91% of applications resulting in interviews. Overcoming turnover, the net gain in correctional officer staffing levels has increased every month this calendar year. More than 22% of new officers come from referrals by current team members. Staff are finding good people to join the team and making corrections a place they want to stay.

The Missouri State Employees Charitable Campaign (MSECC) launches Aug. 31, with a Department of Corrections kickoff event planned for Sept. 13.

This annual unified fundraising effort gives state employees the chance to make donations to their favorite charitable organizations through payroll deduction or one-time gifts. During the past two years, state employees have given more than $1,246,000 to charitable organizations.

To participate, visit msecc.mo.gov. Browse charities by category, keyword or geographic region. Follow the instructions for completing a pledge card online or on paper.

Check your worksite for fundraising (and fun-raising) events held throughout the campaign period.

Valarie Moseley has been named director of the Division of Offender Rehabilitative Services, effective July 18, 2022.

Moseley joined the Missouri Department of Corrections in 2019 as assistant division director in the Division of Human Services, where she managed the Employee Health & Safety Section.

Moseley brings extensive experience in organizational transformation, strategic planning and business process analysis to her new role.

Before joining the corrections team, she spent a decade with Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland Inc., where she served as chief member services officer, driving strategic initiatives and overseeing major changes within the organization.

Moseley holds a master's degree in business administration from William Woods University.

Raylene Douglas has been named director of civil rights training and the department's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator in Central Office, effective July 5, 2022. Douglas has more than 30 years of management, training and development experience with multiple organizations. 

She has held community service and leadership roles with various Missouri organizations, including United Way Workforce, Jefferson City Cultural Arts Commission, Zonta International, Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce and Young Professionals, University of Missouri Extension, American Business Women’s Association, Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, Northeast Missouri CIT and RISE UP Foundation. 

Douglas holds a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in government policy and a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in marketing, both from Grand Canyon University — plus a degree in Hamburgerology from the world training center for McDonald’s Corporation.

Senior Staff Development Training Specialist Jamie Jepsen presented the Value Premise, a core component of The Corrections Way, to a multi-agency state government audience last month.

As part of a monthly series of live training sessions offered by the Office of Administration, Jepsen helped participants understand the process of bringing awareness to individual value and the ways in which each team member affects the culture as a whole, aligning individual actions to an organization's mission and purpose. Trainees identified how their individual contributions help make a strong team.

The Prison Research and Innovation Network (PRIN) team at Moberly Correctional Center is taking research to the next level. University of Missouri System social sciences professors Ashley Givens, Kelli Canada and Beth Huebner recently offered a course designed to enhance participants' understanding of academic research. Ten staff members and 19 offenders completed the sessions. PRIN is a five-state collective pursuing an evidence-based approach to improving the wellbeing of people who live and work in prisons. Teams of offender and staff advisors work with researchers to propose innovative changes.

Chillicothe Correctional Center Intelligence Analyst Ricardo Monroy has earned the Department of Corrections Lifesaver Award.

While working as a correctional officer last fall, Monroy witnessed an offender suicide attempt. He immediately entered the cell where the attempt was underway, took measures to save the offender's life and then followed proper procedures to ensure the safety of the area.

Monroy's quick thinking and fast response helped save a life and protect staff and offenders on site.

When you work in corrections, your family includes not only the people at your job site but also your teammates throughout the state ⁠— who are ready to help out when needed.

Last month, to alleviate strain for mid-Missouri staff working overtime, corrections teams from South Central Correctional Center and Ozark Correctional Center took multiple weekend shifts at Moberly Correctional Center. To thank them, the Moberly personnel club brought out the big grill and spent the day cooking and delivering meals throughout the facility.

Western Missouri Correctional Center Functional Unit Manager Janita Bisel is one of several corrections staff members facilitating the new course "Victims Impact: Listen and Learn." As part of a new curriculum being implemented in the coming months, the course positions victims’ personal experiences at the centerpiece of the program and gives offenders the opportunity to change their thinking and behavior, preventing future crime.

Last month former offender, peer support specialist and motivational speaker Ricky Johnson Jr. visited Eastern Region corrections facilities, where he spoke to hundreds of offenders about life choices, adversity and perseverance.

At Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center, he presented to offenders in the gym. At Missouri Eastern Correctional Center, he met with RISE program participants in the honor wing.

Stop by the Missouri Department of Corrections booth at the Missouri State Fair Aug. 11-21!

Our staff recruitment team will be on hand to shepherd prospective teammates into careers in corrections.

We'll be located in Booth 19 inside the air-conditioned Agriculture Building, near the south door. While you're there, pick up some goodies in the Missouri Grown Market, and visit with some of our fellow state agencies and education partners.

State team members have made enormous strides in reducing the amount of material Missouri agencies send to the landfill. Please consider taking a few minutes to nominate for special recognition individuals or teams who have contributed to this effort.

The Recycling Champion Award recognizes state agencies and employees for outstanding contributions in the areas of waste reduction and recycling.

From July through October, Missouri Department of Corrections employee wellness efforts focus on social wellness — how we treat ourselves and each other. Social wellness involves creating and sustaining healthy, supportive relationships and connecting with others to build community. During difficult times, our relationships can offer support.

If you need social wellness support or guidance, call 800-808-2261 to reach, the SELF Program, our employee assistance program. This is a great place to start when creating goals for improved wellness.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the Kindness Counts challenge, held July 1-31. Participants documented acts of kindness they observed or performed and were entered to into a drawing to win Kindness Counts bundles, each of which contains two coffee mugs, two journals and two pens — one for the winner and one to share.

Each Division of Adult Institutions facility and Probation & Parole region has its own P.A.C.T. leader. P.A.C.T. leaders serve as the primary contacts for the peer support team at that site. They market the P.A.C.T. program and maintain a team roster that is readily accessible to all staff. They assist in mobilizing their P.A.C.T. teams when necessary after stressful events and help ensure that all appropriate follow-up is completed. P.A.C.T. leaders serve as liaisons to the P.A.C.T. coordinator at Central Office.

Who is the P.A.C.T. Leader Where I Work?

ACC - Aimee Echols; BCC - April Fountain; CCC - Teresa DeSpain, Teresa Lark; Eastern Region, District 8N - Gregory Wilson; ERDCC - Carrie Sederstrom, Tonya Todd; FCC - Jerrel Hollinger, Jesse Maxey; FRDC - William "Craig" Bauer; JCCC - Derek Pliska; MCC - Boshko Ognenovski; MECC - Juli Patterson; MTC - Tara Murphy; North Central Region, District 29 - Sarah Lee; Northeast Region, District 26 - Traca Martin; NECC - Carl Ulrich; OCC - Mark Krause, Robert Nevels; PCC - Brandon Johnson, David Montgomery, Melanie Boyer; SCCC - Brian Patton, Karen Wrinkles; Southeast Region, District 15 - Catherine Jones; SECC - Hollie Vandergriff, Jesse May; Southwest Region, District 44 - Nancy Foulke; TCC - Debbie Thimmesch; TCKC - Theresa Kent; TCSTL - Gregory Wilson; Western Region, District 4W - Angel Mathes; WERDCC - David Duckworth, Rachel Hayden; WMCC - Lisa Clark; WRDCC - Heather Berry.

A recent BCC Ambassadors project is a “What’s your Style” board through which staff members share their communication styles, fostering better understanding and strengthening the team dynamic. "What’s your Style” closes with an “Ice for Information” day, during which participants earn a frozen pop ice by demonstrating knowledge of their coworkers' styles.

The ambassador team has been working with section heads to tailor workshops to meet the needs of the individual sections. The small-group dynamics allow for more focused support.

In addition, the team has coordinated with Senior Staff Training Development Specialist Jamie Jepsen to implement workshops in which ambassadors hone their presentation skills and build their confidence.

BCC ambassadors improve communication by leading “Take Ten” sessions that offer frontline staff, supervisors and administrators the chance to engage in loosely structured focus groups on topics such as workplace culture and ENGAGE sessions. These sessions not only foster understanding but also generate new ideas and help strengthen relationships through open dialogue. They also help identify gaps to be filled in the culture and areas of focus for future activities.

The ambassadors team recently partnered with the administrative team and personnel club to host a fish fry for staff members. The warden and ambassadors also partnered to deliver breakfast burritos to first-shift staff members.

Plans for future activities include getting-to-know-you scavenger hunts, a game day with a dunking booth and a TCW Family Feud competition.

Ambassadors will visit the basic academy TCW classes to share their stories about what it means to be an ambassador. They also continue to use monthly workshops and “Take Ten” sessions to ensure TCW skills and tools are ingrained in BCC culture.

We're working hard to recruit and retain staff and to make  our department a great place to work. Demonstrating respect for coworkers builds a positive work environment. 

YOU CAN SHOW RESPECT.

Encourage coworkers to share ideas, and then listen.

Don't engage in insults or name-calling.

Be mindful and accepting of cultural differences.