ICPA2023-PID053 - Sharon Pette

The Role of Agency/Facility Culture in Reducing the Use of Isolation in Secure Juvenile Facilities

This presentation aims to help participants: Understand the influence that facility culture has on the use of isolation and staff retention; Understand research-based characteristics of highly successful organizations; Provide a strategic framework for reducing the use of isolation; Provide an effective framework for improving facility culture – Positive Human Development; Understand key elements to effectively shifting agency/facility culture. Common challenges faced by correctional facilities include the use of isolation and staff retention. Research has shown the influence of leadership and culture on conditions of confinement. This presentation will highlight the key elements of culture change and its powerful influence on the use of isolation and staff retention in correctional facilities. The negative and long-lasting impacts of using isolation as a means of punishment and/or as a behavior management tool will be exposed. Alternative methods to isolation will be discussed as part of introducing participants to a five-step framework for reducing isolation in secure custody settings. Many jurisdictions in the United States have used this framework to successfully improve facility safety and decrease the use of isolation. Common policy elements and practices in juvenile justice facilities in the United States will be discussed. Participants will deepen their understanding of the change management process. The information presented is grounded in research and when implemented properly, has shown to improve facility safety.

Author

Sharon Pette

Management Consultant, Effective System Innovations (ESI), United States

Sharon Pette, MSC (Owner, Effective System Innovations (ESI)) has 25 years of professional experience in juvenile justice and child welfare systems in the United States. As an independent consultant, she has led dozens of state governments, city governments, and large not-for-profit agencies in transforming their systems and improving outcomes for youth and families. Sharon’s passion for assisting agencies in aligning with research-proven practices has allowed agencies throughout the US to achieve and sustain long-lasting results. Her broad range of expertise includes culture change; the development of meaningful performance measures (alignment with the agency’s mission and goals); implementing and managing system-wide initiatives; building the infrastructure for quality assurance and program evaluation; conducting best practice audits; and optimizing resources by streamlining agency and facility processes.

Over the course of her career, Sharon has served as a direct care staff, a mental health counselor, and a high-level administrator in state and city governments (State of Oregon and New York City). Additionally, Sharon is a certified US Department of Justice Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) auditor and has helped dozens of facilities achieve compliance with DOJ regulations and best practices. Sharon holds certificates in Lean Management and Green Belt Six Sigma and is the Chair of the ICPA Best Practices Subcommittee.

Sharon is a published author/researcher and has contributed to the field through articles and toolkits on the topics of culture change; evidence-based practices; staff recruitment and retention; reducing isolation; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social service systems; and creating data-informed systems.

ICPA2023-PID053 - Sharon Pette

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