From Crisis to Culture:

Reducing Turnover in Jails Through Leadership Training

Dr. Brittany Krysinski, CCHP

Employee turnover is one of the most serious challenges facing county jails today. In correctional healthcare, the problem is especially severe. In 2023, one organization reported a 78 percent turnover rate, compared to a national healthcare average of 25.9 percent (Lagasse, 2023). Such high attrition strains operations, drives costs, and threatens the continuity of patient care. For many county leaders, the crisis feels unending: new hires arrive, orientation is conducted, and within months the cycle of separations and recruiting begins again.

Leadership Affects Turnover

Turnover in correctional facilities is not simply an organizational nuisance; it is a national workforce challenge. According to the American Correctional Association (ACA), annual correctional officer turnover rates can exceed 30 percent, making it one of the highest among public safety professions (ACA, 2024). By comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports annual attrition for police officers at roughly 8–10 percent (BLS, 2023), while the National Center for Education Statistics estimates teacher attrition at about 8 percent nationally (NCES, 2022). This disparity highlights the uniquely high-stress environment of jails, where employees face both physical danger and emotional strain. When compounded with inadequate leadership support, the pressure can drive even the most committed professionals to seek employment elsewhere.

A closer look at the correctional healthcare data revealed that leadership quality was at the heart of the issue. A 360-degree evaluation of frontline managers averaged only 4.24 out of 7.0, showing that staff perceived leadership as inconsistent, unclear, and unsupportive. This was a theme felt by management as well, confirmed through one-on-one interviews. Employees described managers who did not listen, who failed to set expectations, and who created barriers to engagement. The result was predictable. Staff left, and the cycle of recruitment and training never stopped.

This pattern is not unique to one jail or even one state. Research across correctional and healthcare settings consistently finds that leadership practices are stronger predictors of turnover than pay or benefits. While salary matters, most employees cite a lack of support, unclear direction, or a toxic work environment as their reason for leaving. In correctional facilities, where stress and risk are already high, weak leadership can make daily work intolerable.

Behind every statistic is a human story. In jails with high attrition, nurses and officers often work forced overtime and double shifts to fill staffing gaps (AFSCME, 2024). New staff members enter without sufficient mentoring because experienced trainers have already resigned, leaving knowledge gaps for those who remain. Patients may see multiple providers in a single month, undermining trust and continuity of care (Daouda, Combes, & Ridde, 2021). Long-term employees describe “survivor fatigue,” watching colleagues burn out while they shoulder the workload (Mack, 2023). The ripple effect spreads beyond the jail walls; counties face budget overruns, overtime bills, and liability when mistakes occur under pressure. High turnover is not just a staffing issue, but a public safety and community health issue.

Change Starts at the Top

An applied improvement project tested whether targeted leadership development could reverse the trend. The program drew on social learning theory, which emphasizes role modeling, and was guided by the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle so the training could adapt based on feedback (Bandura, 1977; Taylor et al., 2014).

The curriculum focused on four skills:

  1. Communication – clarifying expectations and listening actively.
  2. Problem Solving – breaking down challenges with staff input.
  3. Ethical Leadership – modeling fairness and transparency.
  4. Accountability – setting measurable goals and following through.

Leaders discussed real scenarios, participated in reflective conversations, and set team goals. Feedback was collected through interviews, questionnaires, and an implementation journal.

The results were encouraging. Managers reported immediate improvements in clarity, communication, and team relationships. Staff described feeling more supported and more willing to engage. Engagement scores began to rise, and leaders themselves asked for more advanced modules in conflict resolution and scenario-based practice.

These findings mirror what organizational culture experts have long emphasized: sustainable change starts at the top. When leaders model consistent behaviors, staff mirror them, and turnover begins to decline (Holzwarth et al., 2020; Lambert et al., 2021). Culture is not built by slogans on a wall but by daily habits of communication and accountability.

What does this mean for jail administrators who are under constant budget and staffing pressure? Turnover is not only about compensation. Leadership behaviors drive retention more than many realize. Administrators should consider three steps:

  1. Institutionalize leadership training. This should not be a one-time seminar. Counties that succeed build training into every stage of leadership, including new manager orientation, quarterly refreshers, and crisis-response simulations. Making training routine ensures that skills are reinforced and appropriate over time.
  2. Collect regular feedback. Surveys alone are not enough. Administrators can implement “stay interviews” to understand why employees remain and what would make them leave, or regular check-ins with current staff. These proactive conversations reveal actionable insights and can build trust before problems escalate.
  3. Expand content. Conflict management and resilience training should be realistic and connected to jail operations. Incorporating stress-management modules, peer support systems, and even access to mental health services for staff makes the training more holistic and sustainable.

Benefits of Leadership Investment

Counties that invest in leadership education not only improve retention, but they also reduce litigation exposure and overtime costs. Every resignation creates ripple effects: hiring expenses, training hours, schedule disruptions, and burnout among those left behind. When leaders learn to engage their teams effectively, jails spend less time reacting to crises and more time focusing on safety, compliance, and detainee care.

Financially, the savings are significant. Research estimates that replacing a single nurse can cost between $40,000 and $60,000 when factoring in recruitment, orientation, and lost productivity (NSI, 2025). The Texas State Auditor’s Office (2001) estimated that the cost of correctional officer turnover in fiscal year 2000 was over $40 million. Leadership training, though initially requiring investment, pays for itself by breaking the cycle.

These costs do not exist in a vacuum; they are borne by taxpayers. When correctional facilities overspend on overtime or repeatedly fund recruitment drives, county budgets tighten elsewhere. Conversely, when leadership development lowers turnover, savings can be reinvested into programming that directly benefits communities, such as mental health treatment, educational opportunities, or victim support services. In this way, leadership training is not only a workforce solution but also a fiscal responsibility measure that demonstrates good stewardship of public funds.

Conclusion

The trajectory without intervention is concerning. With the national labor pool shrinking, jails will compete even harder with hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and private healthcare systems for talent. Counties that fail to address leadership issues may face chronic understaffing, escalating overtime costs, and heightened exposure to litigation. In extreme cases, facilities may be forced to reduce capacity or close units altogether, jeopardizing community safety. On the other hand, counties that invest now in leadership education position themselves as employers of choice, able to attract and retain skilled professionals even in a tight labor market.

Ultimately, the goal is not just lower turnover statistics but healthier organizations. Staff who feel heard, respected, and supported are more likely to stay and to contribute to a safer environment. For corrections, where continuity of care can mean the difference between stability and crisis, this shift is transformative. This shift is not only about improving workplace satisfaction; it is also about restoring dignity to correctional work and ensuring safer, more stable facilities. When leadership grows, both staff and communities reap the long-term rewards. Turnover is not inevitable. It is a management problem that has a management solution. By investing in leadership, county jails can move from a culture of crisis to one of stability, accountability, and long-term success.

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Dr. Brittany Krysinski, CCHP, is Chief Communications Officer for Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc., and President of Spark Training. A nationally recognized leader in correctional healthcare communications and training, she has earned multiple industry honors, including the Bulldog 40 Under 40 Award for outstanding communications professionals. With over a decade of experience in correctional healthcare communications, training, and management, Dr. Krysinski advocates for practical reforms that improve staff stability and patient outcomes. She can be reached at Brittany.Krysinski@advancedch.com

References

AFSCME. (2024). Connecting the dots: Burnout and mandatory overtime in corrections. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. https://afscmepublicsafety.org/connecting-dots-burnout-and-mandatory-overtime-corrections

American Correctional Association. (2024). Recruitment and retention of correctional staff. Corrections Today. https://aca.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Publications_Carla/Docs/Corrections%20Today/2024%20Articles/Recruitment-and-Retention-of-Correctional-Staff.pdf

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice-Hall.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). Job openings and labor turnover survey: State and local government, police protection. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/jlt/

Daouda, O., Combes, J.-B., & Ridde, V. (2021). Continuity of care in healthcare: A systematic review of definitions and measurement. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 33(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzaa153

Holzwarth, K., Wirtz, J., & Beyer, M. (2020). Communication gaps in healthcare management: An overlooked cause of employee dissatisfaction. Journal of Health Communication, 25(6), 493–505. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2020.1776428

Lagasse, J. (2023). Healthcare employee turnover rates in 2023. Healthcare Finance News. https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com

Lambert, E. G., Qureshi, H., & Hogan, N. L. (2021). The relationship of organizational commitment to correctional staff turnover intent. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 48(2), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854820942260

Mack, T. (2023). Correctional officers’ lived experience of burnout (Doctoral dissertation). Walden University. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15107

National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Teacher attrition and mobility. U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/

NSI Nursing Solutions. (2025). 2025 NSI national health care retention & RN staffing report. NSI Nursing Solutions. https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/documents/library/nsi_national_health_care_retention_report.pdf

Taylor, M. J., McNicholas, C., Nicolay, C., Darzi, A., Bell, D., & Reed, J. E. (2014). Systematic review of the application of the Plan–Do–Study–Act method to improve quality in healthcare. BMJ Quality & Safety, 23(4), 290–298. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2013-001862

Texas State Auditor’s Office. (2001, February). An audit report on correctional officer staffing (Report No. 01-019). https://sao.texas.gov/reports/main/01-019.pdf