Author: Jerry Higgins, Communications Officer
Leaders of the state’s 55 prisons repeatedly heard two consistent messages from senior management and presenters during their meetings in Raleigh on March 12-13: You are the messenger in your facilities, and it is essential to communicate and listen to your staff.
“You run the facilities. You have the knowledge. That’s why you are there,” Director of Prisons Kenneth Lassiter told the group.
The facility administrators heard presentations regarding communications (both internal and external), updates about the Inmate Grievance Resolution Board, PREA and legal issues, National Institute of Corrections Report and security audit, the field training officer program, budgets, and various IT changes.
Deputy Director of Operations Annie Harvey challenged the group not to be complacent. She pointed out that prison administrators must worry about the inmate count, feedings, safety and cleanliness.
“You are responsible for the whole thing,” Harvey said. “The whole thing includes following policy and procedures. You have to communicate with your staff. Give them the tools to be successful.”
Communications Director Pam Walker encouraged the group to have a key message ready whenever they speak with their staff to help ensure they know what is important to management. As staff can be some of the best recruiters, they need to have the tools to share the good news of working in prisons.
“Are people hearing you? Are you getting messages across that matter,” Walker asked the group? “Effective messaging is concise, relevant, simple, memorable and tailored to the audience you’re speaking with. How you deliver a message is important. Do you believe it yourself? You want them to take something away from your conversation and believe it.”
Every senior official who spoke to the group let the administrators know “they have their backs.” That message also was delivered by Gov. Roy Cooper, who briefly visited the group on Monday.
“We know you have an extremely difficult job. We appreciate everything you do for the state,” Gov. Cooper said.
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