With Program Specialist Amanda McGrew's permission I am posting this email communication that went out to faculty on 9/10. The forum seems to be an ideal way to provide help and suggestions on how to address this issue as a team effort.
"Over the past 4 months we have lost 2 tenue staff in our RSAT communities due to being compromised (inappropriate relationships). Unfortunately last week we lost our third one that hit our Division pretty hard. We lost our State Mentors, who was also compromised. She has been working in RSAT for 7 years, carried the mentor title for 4 of those years. We are being faced with two challenges here, what are we missing? And what kind of classes can I offer in my RSAT training? If any. Administration wants me to bring in a team of people and completly restructure the unit. This is an active unit with 48 inmates on it. They already have experienced staff, but in light of what happened they are ready to start all over again. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. "
From my conversation with Amanda and Dan, here are some of the issues that stood out to me.
- Training on ethics with a particular focus on bounderies
- Institute tighter protocals that clearly identify roles between clients and staff. Right now the upper level inmates have a sense of entitlement that shouldn't be there. Calling staff by first names, having too much access to staff offices and almost seeing themselves as peer not inmates.
- Client interactions should be in more public places to reduce the chance of being compromised. More structured staffings and meetings where no two people are alone in a room (this is an old TC rule, but it works)
- Maybe criminal thinking training on tactics clients use to manipulate staff.
Theses were a few quick suggections I had, but WV is very insterested in what the rest of the faculty or RSAT programs can offer.