Mental Health Summit and Conference Preview

In early October, I had the pleasure of joining 120 fellow jail professionals from across the country in the beautiful and historic city of Charleston, South Carolina for the AJA Mental Health Summit for Jail Professionals. Over three days, jail staff learned how they could best take care of employees mentally during stressful and turbulent times.

One silver lining of the pandemic is that it normalized mental health challenges. During the height of COVID, almost everyone experienced some level of discomfort. But the universality of the experience will translate into a decrease in stigma only if people—especially people in power—share their experiences. Being honest about your mental health struggles as a leader opens the door for employees to become comfortable talking about their own mental health challenges. I did exactly that at a recent town hall meeting when I shared the personal trauma I experienced following a tense hostage situation at the jail.

Wellness is key to mental health. That’s why the Orange County Jail has a wellness initiative in place. We make it easy for employees to focus on their health by bringing the activities to them. We have hosted free blood pressure screenings and health referrals, offered mobile mammograms, and brought OnSpot Dermatology to the jail compound. We are also in the process of creating meditation rooms where staff members can retreat to decompress and collect themselves after a stressful situation.

As much as we want to return to the way things were before the pandemic, it’s going to take time and commitment. Let’s use this occasion to create the mentally healthy workplace cultures that should have been in place all along.

The reality is that most jails across the country now hold more mentally ill people than hospitals. According to Mental Health and Justice Partnerships at the Pew Research Center, people with mental health conditions—including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and severe depression—are jailed more than 2 million times each year across the nation, often for misdemeanor crimes.

Given these sobering facts, the Orange County Jail launched a mental health program called “New Start” at its main facility last year. New Start is designed to lead inmates down a pathway from hardship to healing.

The New Start program curriculum covers cognitive behavioral change, communication, and anger management among other topics. In addition to traditional medical, psychiatric and addiction treatment, creative arts therapy is also offered. The jail recently added yoga and meditation training to the curriculum.

Further, the New Start unit is located in close proximity to the jail’s onsite Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) clinic. Many of these inmates struggle with substance abuse as well as mental illness. Mental health matters so kudos to AJA for bringing the issue to the forefront.

Finally, it’s not too early to begin thinking about AJA’s Conference & Jail Expo in May 2024. Happily, the conference is returning to the Sunshine State and will be held in Fort Lauderdale May 18–22. The 2024 theme is Explore, Collaborate & Discover. And that’s exactly what you’ll do when you have the opportunity to interact with peers from jails everywhere in the U.S.

As you know, AJA is the only national association that focuses exclusively on issues specific to the operations of local correctional facilities. Come to Fort Lauderdale to get the tools you need to operate your respective facility more effectively and efficiently. The conference will include more than 60 workshops presented by jail subject matter experts and thought leaders.

There are 10 conference educational tracks. They are Strategic Inmate Management; Risk Liability & Legal Updates; Classification & Programming; Agency Culture; Leadership Development; Emerging Issues; Jail Technology: A Force Multiplier; Medical & Mental Health: Adversity & Solutions; Tribal Jails: Confronting Change; and Staff Wellness: The Next Steps.

Let’s face it. Working in a jail can be stressful and there are no shortages of challenges. Being able to network and share struggles and successes with other correctional professionals is the beauty of the conference experience. You meet new people and gain go-to sources for new ideas, innovative strategies and solutions for issues faced in the jail setting. Networking opportunities abound at the conference.

There will be more than 170 vendors represented in the Exhibit Hall displaying the latest and greatest jail technologies, products, and services. Best of all, in addition to seeing merchandise firsthand and in person, you’ll have the opportunity to chat with an expert about the various products and their capabilities.

And it’s not all about work, hopefully you’ll find a little time to explore some of what this charming conference venue offers. Fort Lauderdale is known as “The Venice of America” so why not explore its winding canals and waterways via a convenient water taxi? Or consider taking a guided tour on the Jungle Queen Riverboat or visiting the beautiful Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. Whatever you do, enjoy the picturesque backdrop we will have for the American Jail Association’s 43rd annual Conference & Jail Expo.

When the conference concludes, the result is you can take all the great things you learned back to your facility and apply them. The takeaways from conferences are often powerful and make a positive difference going forward. And that’s what it’s all about—learning and continuing to grow professionally.

Registration and housing are both already open. The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina is the host hotel. AJA has also negotiated room blocks with two other nearby hotels: The Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale and Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel.

What are you waiting for? Get ready to gather in Fort Lauderdale in the spring. Hope to see you there. Louis A. Quiñones, Jr., CJM, CCE President American Jail Association