Improve health of prison guards

When Hawaii corrections officers call in sick en masse on special events, such as Super Bowl Sunday, it tends to make news. These obvious cases of sick-leave abuse require a strong response from the Department of Public Safety, and demand cooperation from organized labor to stem unprofessional conduct by union members.

A deeper problem, though, according to DPS, is the absenteeism of adult corrections officers who are unquestionably ailing, beset by a range of chronic conditions including diabetes, gout and migraine headaches. Many diseases and disorders are related to the continuous stress associated with working in a jail or prison, a closed 24-7 workplace that requires hypervigilance and can be punctuated by violence or the threat of it. The negative impact of this working environment on some employees’ mental and physical health is well documented.

Indeed, it’s an issue of growing concern nationally, as researchers conclude that corrections officers are far more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety and to attempt or commit suicide than the general population. The rate of post-traumatic stress disorder among corrections officers is similar to that of combat veterans, one 2013 study found.

The worst effects of all this trauma fall on the corrections worker and his or her family, of course, but workplace productivity also suffers. Employees with depression or PTSD miss far more days of work than those who are free of the disorder, that 2013 study found. Preventing, diagnosing and treating mental-health problems that are debilitating by themselves and also can exacerbate high blood pressure or other disorders therefore serves not only the employees but the prison system overall.

This issue is less apparent than the well-known problem of sick-leave abuse, but it is rightly the focus of two new wellness campaigns within DPS. These programs aim to help employees in all types of jobs improve their mental and physical health through a combination of personal assessments that track blood pressure and other indicators and training activities that encourage participants to eat better, exercise more and learn and consistently apply proven stress-reduction techniques.

The Worksite Wellness program was devised for state employees in general and the Desert Waters program was designed specifically for corrections officers, a plus for this vulnerable population. Participation is voluntary, but should be strongly encouraged, for the good of individual officers and the prison system overall.

Baseline data collected at the beginning will provide benchmarks to gauge improvement over time, which is essential to measure the effectiveness of programs that have the potential to reduce the chronic absenteeism.

Being short the full contingent of corrections officers needed for any given shift, whether due to actual illness or fake sick calls, contributes to a host of problems, including high overtime costs, potential burnout for those employees who pick up the slack, and the continual cancellation of weekend visiting hours for inmates. This latter consequence impedes prisoners’ prospects for successful rehabilitation and is doubly regrettable given that one rationale for returning Hawaii inmates from cheaper mainland prisons was to foster family visits — so that inmates could maintain positive ties or repair fractured ones. Canceling visiting days week after week defeats that purpose.

Helping adult corrections officers improve their own health so they show up for work consistently is an important element of a multi-pronged approach that also includes raising hiring standards, continously training officers to withstand the rigors of the job and working with the unions to quell illegitimate absences.

Working in a prison is no easy gig. Avoiding "corrections fatigue" starts with individual officers developing good habits on and off the job. These wellness programs will encourage that.