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Charges Assigned by the President:

• The Committee shall meet to develop a strategy for building an internal human resources capacity for the American Correctional Association.
• The Committee shall design a continuum of resources that Human Resource Directors and professionals can use to enhance the human resource services within their agencies, including, but not limited to a forum for information sharing among human resource professionals.
• The Committee will also identify current trends and critical issues that will impact the human resources and human resource professionals in adult and juvenile correctional agencies.
• The Committee shall participate in the exemplary practices project by providing input to the Exemplary Practices Coordinating Council relative to necessary revisions and updates in the published best practices monograph.
• The Committee shall address the need to share critical human resource information and research in forums such as ACA workshops and by submitting ideas and/or articles for consideration to be printed in ACA publications.
• The Committee shall work with other ACA committees on human resource issues affecting adult and juvenile corrections; shall work with related affiliates and associations, including but not limited to the Association of State Correctional Administrators and the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators; and shall work with affiliates and chapters who have related interests or to address issues of mutual concern.
• The Committee shall develop agenda items other than the aforementioned, with the approval of the President.
• The Committee shall submit minutes of each meeting held to the Association’s Executive Office within 60 days after the Committee meets.

Human Resources Committee Progress Report
Revised July 14, 2005

The Human Resources Committee held its first meeting on August 10, 2003, during the 133rd Congress of Correction in Nashville, Tennessee.

Committee progress to date is as follows:

• Committee Membership
• Development of a Committee Purpose
• Definition of Committee Roles and Responsibilities
• Development and Issuance of a Quarterly Newsletter
• Presentation of Conference Workshops
• Information Sharing
• Corrections Today Magazine
• Web Site Development
• Committee Future Initiatives

• Committee Membership: There are currently 20 committee members representing a variety of criminal justice entities as well as private corporations and other state agencies.


• Development of a Committee Purpose: The purpose of the Human Resources Committee is to monitor the activities of the American Correctional Association initiative entitled "Building a Strategic Workforce Plan for the Corrections Profession"; advise on the integration of the results of the American Correctional Association strategic workforce plan project into the American Correctional Association program and service activities; recommend programs for the newly created Human Resources workshop track at upcoming conferences; and formalize a structure and scope of activities for the committee.


• Definition of Committee Roles and Responsibilities: Committee roles were defined as scanning, convening, facilitating, providing, and evaluating.
  • Scanning: The scanning role includes monitoring corrections employment trends; developing scenarios of future corrections employment needs; identifying gaps between labor supply and demand; creating an annual State of Corrections Workforce report; and establishing and maintaining an electronic clearinghouse of relevant corrections workforce information.
  • Convening: The convening role includes offering a special human resources related workshop track at upcoming ACA conferences to receive and discuss information related to corrections workforce issues; providing opportunities for electronic interaction to discuss key issues and best practices; and identifying areas of concern around which actions need to be taken.
  • Facilitating: The facilitating role includes promoting and coordinating collaborative efforts among corrections related organizations; pursuing funding for collaborative efforts as well as ACA human resources related projects; and incubating special corrections workforce programs.
  • Providing: The providing role includes establishing gathering places (upcoming conferences or electronic interactions) for corrections human resources professionals; providing mechanisms for the ongoing exchange of ideas and information; providing technical assistance through ACA programs and services; enhancing public relations and marketing of the role and importance of the human resources professional in corrections.
  • Evaluating: The evaluating role will include assessing progress in building a corrections workforce pool based on targeted size and quality; evaluating the status and impact of ACA corrections related human resources programs and services; and evaluating the activities of the Human Resources Committee.
• Development and Issuance of a Quarterly Newsletter: The Human Resources Committee developed and issued its first newsletter in January 2004. The newsletter was distributed to the ACA Board of Governors, Delegate Assembly members, ACA committee chairs, and Workforce Steering Committee members. The second issue was developed and issued in July 2004, the third issue was developed and distributed in November 2004, and the fourth issue was issued in May 2005.
  
• Presentation of Conference Workshops:
  • 133rd Congress of Correction:
  • Building a Strategic Workforce Plan for the Corrections Professional
  • More Powerful Recruiting for Corrections Professionals
  • Combating Turnover in the Corrections Workforce
  • Employee Attitude Surveys: Process and Payoffs
  • Creating a Strategic Human Resources Development Plan for Attracting and Retaining Correctional Workers.
  • 2004 Winter Conference:
    • Correctional Employees: Why They Came, Why Some Stayed, and Why Others Left
    • Recruitment: Perspectives and Practices
    • Hiring Mr. or Ms. Right: Hiring and Selecting the Most Qualified Applicant
    • Employee Turnover: Quantifying, Communicating, and Addressing the Challenge of Employee Turnover
    • Managing the Multi-Generational Workforce
  • 134th Congress of Correction:
    • Measuring, Costing, and Reporting Employee Turnover
    • Profiling the Ideal Correctional Officer
    • Recruiting Correctional Professionals from Diverse Populations
    • Emerging Alternative Employment Models for Corrections
    • Changing the Perception of the Correctional Officer from the Inside Out
  • 2005 Winter Conference:
    • Making Corrections a Great Place to Work
    • Building a Strategic Workforce Plan for the Correctional Organization
    • Doing More with Less—Creative Approaches to Leveraging Training Dollars Effectively
    • Legal Issues with Costly Consequences <
    • Developing Career Pathways in Corrections
  • 135th Congress of Correction:
    • Ethics in the Corrections Workforce
    • Human Capital Alignment: A Metrics-Driven Process for Organizational Success
    • Workforce Legal Issues with Costly Consequences
    • Marketing Messages for Corrections
    • Exit Surveys: Process and Payoffs

  Specific feedback is gathered from participants attending each workshop series, and this feedback is then utilized to develop the next workshop series.

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  • Information Sharing: Information regarding current trends and issues related to Human Resources is being shared with committee members via e-mail.
    
  • Corrections Today Magazine: The August 2004 issue of Corrections Today was devoted to a series of articles on workforce issues. The Human Resources Committee developed titles and identified writers for the issue.
    
  • Web Site Development: The American Correctional Association has dedicated a section of its web page to workforce information. Currently, the American Correctional Association Workforce Project Report, the August issue of Corrections Today, and Human Resources Committee newsletters are posted on the web site.
    
  • Committee Future Initiatives: The committee identified the following as future initiatives:
    • Design and deliver web-cast sessions (between conferences) that provide information related to the most pressing workforce issues and related "hot topics".
    • Establish a career pathway within the American Correctional Association for human resources professionals in law enforcement, public safety, and corrections by proposing development of a track within the existing ACA professional development program.
    • Propose establishment of a component of the American Correctional Association web site that provides real-time information on pertinent workforce issues.
    • Propose development of a marketing campaign related to promoting careers in law enforcement, public safety, and corrections.
    • Identify funding sources for further study of workforce issues.