Primary Investigator: Martin Cherniack MD, MPH

 

Correctional officers have been a relatively understudied working population, but they are an important segment of the public safety workforce. Their job tasks, while often sedentary, are psychologically stressful and interspersed with emergency responses that often produce injuries. Working third shift and frequent mandatory overtime are common requirements, especially for new officers. There is an urgent need for evidence-based interventions to improve correctional officer safety, health, and well-being. 

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The HITEC I and HITEC II studies of CPH-NEW (2006-2016) helped to establish national recognition of these issues and their health risks, using a Total Worker Health® perspective. HITEC III (2016-2021) featured participatory Design Teams (DTs) of supervisors, corrections officers, and correctional healthcare workers, who designed, implemented, and evaluated interventions. Interventions included physical space redesign, mental health trainings, and stress reduction spaces and practices. HITEC has become a national model for best practices in supporting the health of corrections staff. 

 

In September 2021, the State of Connecticut legislature assumed funding responsibilities for the HITEC program. Many established investigators from UConn, UConn Health, and UMass Lowell (UML) remained with the program. 

HITEC IV and HITEC V (2021-2025) continued the research-to-practice pathway consistent with the Total Worker Health® (TWH) program. Each DT brings together talented workers from front-line staff in custody, including officers, counselors, and maintenance, to health services personnel and educators. Some DTs are facility-based, some group together regionally, while others are formed based on their roles at the CT DOC. Several unions support HITEC and applaud the health benefits workers receive.  

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Design Team facilitators guide each team through the IDEAS tool process. Design Team interventions have included multiple initiatives in staff mental health and stress-reducing initiatives at work. The Facility Support Officer (FSO) mentoring program was developed by staff and has superseded the professionally dependent mentoring program of HITEC II through internal training and continuity. There has been a movement towards cross-team initiatives that include planning for healthier retirement.  

 

HITEC IV sponsored revisions of the CPH-NEW Healthy Workplace Participatory Program (HWPP) tools, and HITEC IV and V have included training for senior managers working with participatory teams. HITEC’s progression has included hiring of retired corrections personnel with extensive Design Team experience and engagement of Connecticut corrections staff in national initiatives sponsored by the National Institute of Corrections and NIOSH. The university's role has evolved with an emphasis on quality control, evaluative tools, and analysis of data generated from Design Team surveys. 

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Since 2006, many research articles have been published, trainings developed, and toolkits prepared. The researchers working with the Connecticut Department of Correction, both management and bargaining unit representatives, have shared HITEC results with national audiences of researchers and practitioners. The Connecticut Department of Correction is recognized as a national leader in implementing NIOSH Total Worker Health strategies in correctional facilities. 

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For more information on the scientific research.