Programs: Guards to Guardians

Guards to Guardians Program Video

“We’re human beings, of course we’re gonna feel emotion, of course we’re gonna go through this. But that connects us to the people we’re protecting. That connects us because we both have the same emotions. We have anxiety, we get depressed, we get sad, we get angry.”

Building a Bridge of Trust

I told the group we are working to build a bridge of understanding between the officers and the incarcerated and be rid of the thought “us vs. them.”

More than a Guard

We offer not only the tools to officers for the improvement of their mental health, but also help clear the stigma of the guard to the nobler role this profession plays as the guardian.

A Correctional Officer’s Journey Inwards

Often we are too caught up with what’s going on around us to realize what’s going on within us. In addressing what is happening within us, we will better realize what we need to do for ourselves and for those incarcerated under our care and custody.

A Deeper Look: Through the Eyes of an Officer

This program allows officers to get their problems out in the open, guides them through trials and tribulations, lets officers know they are not alone and have someone they can turn to in times of need, and gives them a sense of security and hope.

From Guard to Guardians

By Hesham Hauter ​A few months ago, I set out on a project to interview twenty Correctional Officers throughout the country. To take on this assignment, I had to educate myself on COs, cold call them, ask for interviews, and think up questions that would best bring out their humanity. I also had to learn […]

Rehumanization: Correctional Officer Story by Lynn Slay

I got into corrections because I grew up in foster homes and I lived with one foster family that really helped change me. Working Juvenile Hall was my way of repaying them, by going to work with high-risk youth. That was my dream. When I started going to college to get my degree, I realized […]

Rehumanization: Correctional Officer Story by Greg Piper

When I was in my mid-thirties, I had worked different jobs, but I was searching for something that would give me more of a sense of purpose. I had an opportunity to move to Kansas for a job with the Dept. of Corrections in Ellsworth. I started out as a line officer on the evening […]

Rehumanization: Correctional Officer Story by Michelle Threatt

I started in corrections and law enforcement in October of 2002 at Hardee Correctional Institution where I worked until 2006. I then moved on to the Polk County Sheriff’s office until my retirement in 2017. I came into the field because there was a prison being built near me and they were looking for officers. […]