“We want people to heal and grow and have a good life and serve their community well.” - Scott Semple, Retired Commissioner of the Connecticut DoC

Prisons are not just meant to punish, they’re also meant to rehabilitate and prioritizing health is one way of making a huge positive impact.

Prisons are in crisis—and it impacts us all.

We need safer conditions, better training, more staff, and less unnecessary over-incarceration. Show your support by subscribing to our newsletter: https://saferprisonssafercommunities.org/

Happy and healthy correctional officers can have a huge impact on the way a prison functions.

As Dr. Shaneva McReynolds of @famm.org says, by addressing the understaffing crisis and creating better environments in prisons, there can be “a harvest” for both incarcerated people and staff.

When prisons are understaffed, people inside are often locked down for days or weeks. As Santia Nance shares, this means:

📞 No calls
🫂 No visits
💙 No programs
🩺 No medical care

Learn more through @famm.org’s #LifeOnLockdown campaign: buff.ly/NXabCDx

When prisons lack the resources for mental health care, education, and rehab programs, both staff and incarcerated people suffer.

Without real support, people leave unprepared, return to prison at higher rates, and our communities pay the price. This failure fuels a harmful cycle we must break.

Stephen B. Walker of One Voice United shares how his son, a corrections officer, took a demotion after the environment at his facility began to seriously affect his wellbeing.

Demand better this #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth and #NationalCorrectionsOfficerWeek: saferprisonssafercommunities.org

“It is a race to the bottom.” - Andy Potter from One Voice United.

Overincarceration leads to overcrowded, unsafe prisons - stripping away access to support, education, and mental health care, which makes rehabilitation nearly impossible.

🔗 Learn more: saferprisonssafercommunities.org

When correctional staff are overworked and burnt out, maintaining safety becomes nearly impossible.

How can correctional staff be expected to facilitate rehabilitation and maintain safety when they are working excessive overtime, feel undervalued, and are under-resourced?

Incarcerated people are being set up to fail after their release because our prison systems are designed primarily for confinement. Rehabilitation is essential to safer prisons and safer communities—yet it remains underappreciated.

Hear more from @famm.org’s Matthew Charles.