In 2018, the Chief of Housing and Program Managers (CHAPS) participated in a survey initiated by the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) to look at a number of challenges the managers were facing. The survey revealed that operational and housing unit issues, inmate classification, along with managing and tracking learning teams for all staff members at their assigned facilities, required a large majority of their time. The large amount of time required for operational

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) began its Dialogue journey in 2010, and has continued to evolve under the leadership of Director Harold Clarke. Prior to coming to the Virginia Department of Corrections, Director Clarke had already been introduced to Dialogue by Peter Garrett and William Isaacs. Director Clarke realized that Dialogue was the vehicle that could give substance the Healing Environment concept in the VADOC. In order to effect change and create a hea

The Brunswick Community Corrections Alternative Program (CCAP) is a secure, residential facility that was created as an alternative sentencing option for the Circuit Courts in Virginia to utilize for adult males in need of an Intensive Substance Abuse Program. The facility opened in January of 2020. The program provides a sentencing option for judicial consideration in lieu of an individual serving an active term of incarceration in a local jail or state institution. The curr

Dialogue in Extreme Business Stress Environments, September 25th 2019

The paper was read to staff at Broadmoor Hospital (a secure psychiatric unit in London for serious offenders February 1994) The letter shows Patrick's vision, that was later realised  by Peter Garrett with Dialogue Groups running in many prisons in the UK and the USA.

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) has been on a pathway to reduce and eliminate the use of restrictive housing since 2016. Traditionally, as defined by the American Correctional Association (ACA), restrictive housing is a practice where inmates are separated from the general population for up to 22 hours per day and placed in a cell for the safe and secure operation of a facility1. The agency relied on the use of this practice for inmates that exhibited serious b

During the Covid-19 pandemic, organizations around the world have had to reassess their business processes; the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is no exception. It has become expedient to check on staff to make sure they have resources and guidance needed to do their jobs. To this end, VADOC Operations adjusted Dialogue to elevate the voices of staff, supporting their well-being and meaningful work by focusing on front- and back-end steps outside of the sessions th

Central Virginia Correctional Unit 13 (CVCU) plays an integral part in assigning inmates to outside work employment, as well as maintaining consistent movement within the institution. The operation and management of these areas are critical in ensuring that a schedule is adhered to by all staff daily. The facility experienced conflicts with medical and dental appointments, which interrupted outside work activities and movement within the institution, inconsistency with the de

This paper is intended as a companion to my reprinted 2018 paper (next chapter), in which I outline why the Offender Resettlement Journey (ORJ) is important, how an ORJ process works, and what we might learn about some of our underlying concepts about the arche- typal journey in practice. I believe it is a useful resource for anyone working in the criminal justice or correctional system. I wrote that paper through the lens of my own 20-year journey through my Dialogue Practit

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Less than two years after David Bohm's death, Peter was promoting the Prison Dialogues that began six months after David's death.

Facility personnel across the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) began noticing a rise in inmate disturbances. The lead cause indicated that the telephones and showers were being monopolized by the gangs, specifically the Bloods. Their ability to be subtle with the activities caused staff to be unaware of the frustration that had reached a boiling point among the inmates who had no gang affiliation. The non-gang inmate population grew tired of the situation and began

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) strives to hire trustworthy, dedicated staff and retain their employment for 20 to 30 years of professional service. While this employment strategy contrasts with the five-years-of-service trends in private industry, in corrections the employer and the employee greatly benefit from a long career history. Recently, the VADOC has struggled to hire and retain professional corrections employees. This challenge is widespread across th

This is a companion paper expanding the consideration begun by Harold Clarke and Whitney Barton in their paper, Putting Dialogue to Work in the Virginia Department of Corrections , that was considered at our 2019 conference. That paper described the value of the Working Dialogue as a business practice for the management of organisational change, and gives specific case studies to substantiate this. In this paper I want to explain the thinking that led to the original design o

Indian Creek Correctional Center is the only Cognitive Therapeutic Community for male inmates in the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC). The mission of the facility focuses on substance abuse, with the majority of the inmates being enrolled by court order. As part of the ongoing enhancement of the use of pro-social behavior and cognitive skills, the opportunity to introduce Dialogue Skills Training to inmates made perfect sense. By developing these skills, inmates can

What is the purpose of the criminal justice system? Is it punishment? Or retribution? Perhaps rehabilitation? Deterrence? Public safety? While there is undoubtedly a little of all of these in practice, rehabilitation is at the heart of modern penal policy in the UK and US systems where I have worked. In my experience the reality of the aspiration to provide rehabilitation (defined as ‘the reintegration of a convicted person into society’) is hampered by the fragmentation of t