2024 was a year of firsts for the Missouri Department of Corrections. Our agency opened the nation’s first prison-based tattoo apprenticeship and first hands-on corrections training academy. We hosted Missouri’s first prison TEDx event and first combined prison-staff-and-residents university commencement ceremony. We also made people safer, served our communities and saved lives. Here are just a few things we accomplished in 2024:
1. We took care of our teams.
In 2024, we bolstered our support for staff with the implementation of new roles. Each prison now has a human resources specialist to help employees with personnel matters such as onboarding, career coaching, pay and leave. Each region has a licensed behavioral health professional to provide mental health interventions and crisis assistance. Prisons and transition centers have employee resources specialists who refer staff to resources that help solve problems and address life challenges. This year we also implemented MyCority, a secure online platform that gives staff the ability to view key aspects of their employee health files, make appointments, complete health forms and more.
2. We got inked.
Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center (WRDCC) in St. Joseph became home to the nation’s first licensed tattoo artist apprenticeship program located inside a prison. Residents with artistic talent and motivation to succeed complete 300 hours of training, plus CPR and bloodborne-pathogen certifications, to become licensed tattoo artists. After completing the apprenticeship, they tattoo peer clients in an on-site studio run by a vocational instructor and tattoo artist and then can practice their craft professionally upon release. The program cuts down on the spread of diseases that can happen through unapproved, non-sterile tattoo methods; incentivizes good behavior among prospective trainees and tattoo clients; and equips participants for post-incarceration careers. More
3. We readied Missourians for the work world.
In 2024 incarcerated Missourians completed new apprenticeship programs prepping them for in-demand careers. Led by contractor Aramark Correctional Services, the first class of IN2WORK food service apprentices graduated in January, with students statewide following suit throughout the year. Trainees complete the intensive classroom-learning and hands-on-training curriculum, earning National Restaurant Association certifications and gaining skills for food-service careers. Through a partnership with the Missouri Department of Economic Development's Missouri Women’s Council, the first class of students completed the new Aspire MO 2.0 warehouse, manufacturing and supply chain training program, earning nationally recognized certifications such as OSHA 10, Certified Production Technician 4.0+ with Skill Boss and Precision Measurement Instruments. Two weeks of personal and professional development (PPD) training through Connections to Success buoys their employability. Watch
4. We cultivated college grads.
Higher education opportunities multiplied this year. In 2024 we celebrated our first staff college graduation, with six members of the Chillicothe Correctional Center (CCC) team earning associate's degrees in liberal studies from Rockhurst University. The students spent six years completing free on-site courses taught by Rockhurst professors and celebrated their graduation alongside five CCC incarcerated graduates. The first Washington University diplomas to be awarded to incarcerated women went to 12 students at Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center (WRDCC) (Watch). Learning options for residents grew as our 10 college and university partners extended programs to more sites. In fall 2024, more than 1,300 incarcerated students were enrolled in higher education degree programs. Graduations abounded, with students earning associate’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees throughout the year.
5. We took staff training to the next level.
The new Academy for Excellence in Corrections (AEC), an experiential learning center built from the repurposed Western Missouri Correctional Center (WMCC) in Cameron, opened for training earlier this year, followed by an official ribbon cutting in November. Unlike any other correctional training facility in the nation, AEC provides an environment for Missouri Department of Corrections staff to learn, practice and prepare for their jobs in an authentic corrections setting. Staff conduct cell searches in real cells, check real perimeter fences and staff real command centers. They also enjoy state-of-the-art classrooms, a training gym, a dining hall and modern residential accommodations in a fully remodeled housing unit. More
6. We discovered ideas worth spreading.
Farmington Correctional Center (FCC) hosted the first TEDx event ever held in a Missouri prison. Fifteen FCC residents and staff members presented Ted Talk-style speeches and performed original poems and live music for an audience of corrections folks and community partners. The organization Proximity for Justice, alongside dedicated FCC staff, spent eight months working with participants on their talks, created around the theme “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Speakers talked expertly about love of education, love of video games, love of nature, love of self, love of family, love of community, and the other aspects of love that drive them.
7. We installed new leaders.
At the end of 2023, the department’s long-time director and deputy director retired from their roles, leading to department and division leadership changes. With the appointment of Trevor Foley as acting director and Valarie Mosley and Travis Terry as deputy directors, we welcomed four new division directors to the team: Division of Adult Institutions Director Myles Strid, Division of Probation and Parole Director John Mosley, Division of Human Services Director Mike Strong and Division of Rehabilitative Services Director Annie Herman. All came with 15 or more years of corrections experience, boundless enthusiasm and detailed to-do lists. Foley has been selected as Governor-Elect Mike Kehoe’s nomination for permanent director of the department.
8. We welcomed higher salaries and a bigger team.
In July, staff saw a 3.2% cost-of-living salary increase, proposed by Governor Mike Parson and approved by the Missouri General Assembly, bringing the State of Missouri’s total investment in corrections staff pay increases since 2018 to $199.3 million. Thanks to this and other improvements — employee support programs, workplace culture improvements, focused recruiting efforts — in 2024, staffing rates reached the highest level since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
9. We saved lives and heralded heroes.
Staff and residents alike rose to the occasion to help fellow Missourians in emergencies. A dozen heroes on the corrections team earned the 2024 Director’s Award of Valor, an honor bestowed on staff who act in a heroic or courageous manner on or off duty despite personal risk. Team members were recognized for physically placing themselves between a weapon-wielding assailant and a colleague; for walking into a room engulfed in flames to usher someone to safety; and for pulling strangers out of a fire and providing them with emergency care (More). In 2024, Lifesaver Awards were presented to 221 staff members and several residents who took lifesaving action to help residents, clients or staff during medical events, accidents and other emergencies.
10. We earned gubernatorial accolades.
Members of the corrections team earned honors for outstanding performance among all state government employees. Jefferson City Correctional Center’s Sergeant Scharihen Ward and Sergeant Nicole Ellzey were awarded the Governor’s Medal, which recognizes a group of public safety officers for acts above and beyond the call of normal duty during a critical incident or life-threatening situation; Ellzey died unexpectedly in June 2024 and was honored posthumously. Governor Parson recognized Probation & Parole Officer II Diane Shannon for giving four decades of dedicated service to the people of Missouri; she joined the department in 1984 and currently serves in District 3. Chillicothe Correctional Center (CCC) Sergeant Tayluer Dunks was named State Team Member of the Month, an honor for which one State of Missouri employee who has provided outstanding service is chosen from more than 50,000 people serving 17 state government agencies and offices of elected officials.
11. We improved our supervision tools.
In 2024 we implemented an automated system to help probation and parole officers supervising low-risk offenders. Aligned with evidence-based practices in community supervision, the system enhances staff productivity while providing information necessary for effective supervision. The system also eases burdens on probationers and parolees, allowing them to properly report to their supervising officers without having to navigate obstacles pertaining to transportation, job schedules, treatment appointments and other considerations. This year we purchased state-of-the art tasers for the Probation & Parole Arrest Teams, providing a safety upgrade in the performance of duties. We also purchased additional metal detectors for designated Probation & Parole worksites.
12. We tackled contraband.
In 2024, the department turbo-charged our efforts to keep drugs and other dangerous contraband out of state prisons. At every prison and transition center, we installed body scanners, through which visitors, staff, contractors, volunteers, vendors and other adults entering state prisons are checked for contraband. We established a new Division of Adult Institutions Investigations Unit, in which trained investigators work with law enforcement and other agencies to identify and shut down sources of drugs before they enter state prisons. We also prepared to launch a new digital legal mail system that simultaneously cuts down on incoming paper, improves privacy for residents and cuts costs for clients and attorneys.
13. We expanded substance use treatment.
Working with contractors Centurion and Gateway, we took steps to further reduce harm for incarcerated Missourians who have opioid use disorder (OUD) by expanding medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in our facilities, using FDA-approved medications combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychiatric care or other forms of psychosocial support both during and after incarceration. Considered the gold standard in treatment, MAT is now available at any time during incarceration to patients who have been clinically assessed and prescribed the medication by health care providers.
14. We opened a reentry center in every prison.
In 2023, Missouri became the first state in the U.S. to join Reentry 2030, a national initiative that aims to dramatically improve reentry outcomes for people exiting prison by 2030, and five other states followed our lead. In 2024, we achieved our goal of opening reentry centers in all 19 Missouri Department of Corrections facilities. Staffed by housing and employment specialists, these one-stop shops support people preparing for release from incarceration, helping with vital documents, vocational certifications, employability skills, job searches, housing searches, family reunification, health care plans and more. Mirroring community job centers, the inviting office spaces set Missourians up for success.
15. We reimagined restrictive housing.
The Division of Adult Institutions took big steps to improve the safety and wellbeing of people living and working in restrictive housing units. In 2024, staff assigned to these units in maximum-security prisons began using body-worn cameras, which record interactions with residents and with colleagues. Body-worn cameras have been shown to reduce conduct violations, assaults and uses of force and in prisons and to encourage constructive encounters. At Potosi and Tipton correctional centers, the division piloted a new three-phase restrictive housing model that focuses attention on offenders who pose true safety and security threats to institutions, while reducing or eliminating disciplinary sanctioning for those who do not. The new model consists of three phases known as Temporary Assignment (TA), Restrictive Housing (RH), and Extended Restrictive Housing (ERH). Both pilot sites saw reductions in disciplinary sanctioning, in the length of time offenders spent in restrictive housing, and in use of force and aggressive/assaultive incidents within the units.
16. We made more housing innovations.
2024 was a big year for incentive-based housing, a housing model in which residents meeting certain criteria for behavior, programming and service are housed with like-minded people in unstaffed units characterized by inviting common spaces, private recreation areas, home appliances and other perks. The staff behind the Algoa Correctional Center Honor Dorm earned the Governor’s Award for Quality and Productivity in the innovation category (More). The Northeast Correctional Center Dynamo program grew from the original 14 residents to 49 men in two housing wings and garnered international attention. Meanwhile, the department teamed up with University of Missouri researchers on the Missouri Prison Transformation Project, which investigates the effects that thoughtfully designed living spaces and a commitment to dynamic security can have on residents and staff in a prison.
17. We fostered leadership.
Algoa Correctional Center (ACC) hosted the first Global Leadership Conference spearheaded by participants in the Global Leadership Academy, a program initiated by a former ACC resident to help reinforce the mission of the Global Leadership Network (GLN) and prepare for its annual worldwide symposium. Staff and resident speakers shared stories of personal transformation, redemption and community building with peers and conference guests representing GLN, Fourth Purpose and other community partners. In August, people in nine Missouri prisons tuned in to the online Global Leadership Summit for inspiration and motivation.
18. We taught old dogs new tricks.
Puppies for Parole (P4P) dogs — rescue animals trained and socialized by incarcerated dog handlers for adoption — played with kids during prison family visit days; showed off at the annual Dogg Days showcase; represented us at the Parson Family Fall Fest; attended special state events for veterans and crime victims; and helped host a fundraiser. Their humans were pretty busy, too. Notably, former Jefferson City Correctional Center (JCCC) P4P trainer Joe Denti, who was released last fall after 34 years in prison, became a K9s for Camo trainer, got a job in a veterinary office, earned a scholarship from P4P supporter Royal Canin to become a certified veterinary technician, and returned to JCCC to share his wisdom with the current P4P team. Denti’s story.
19. We made an impact in KC.
Kansas City-area Probation and Parole teams and their clients made a big impression on the community this year. Two Probation & Parole District 4 officers saved residents of an encampment when it caught fire, pulling two people from the fire, administering first aid, moving the crowd away from explosive materials and assisting firefighters at the scene. For their actions, the two earned the Director’s Award of Valor. Residents and staff from the Transition Center of Kansas City (TCKC) presented at the Courage to Change Annual Symposium, which brought together corrections leaders and partners to discuss the future of prison and reentry. TCKC residents and staff teamed up for the Great Kansas City Cleanup, and Mayor Quinton Lucas stopped by to thank them for their help. And TCKC Superintendent Michelle Tippie earned the Reentry Champion of the Year award at the Missouri Reentry Conference.
20. We gave back.
In corrections, we go big for a good cause. During the most recent Missouri State Employees Charitable Campaign, the Department of Corrections ranked highest in pledges among all state government agencies, pledging $107,458 for charities and hosting fundraising events for selected organizations including SafetyNet of Missouri, Wonderland Camp and the Missouri Mental Health Foundation. Staff also supported Special Olympics Missouri by dipping into icy Missouri waters during the Polar Plunge and braving the intense summer heat during the Torch Run.
21. We helped the families of fallen colleagues.
This year the sixth Missouri prison became a lifetime facility sponsor of the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation (CPOF), a national nonprofit charitable organization supporting the surviving families of correctional officers who lose their lives in the line of duty; a correctional institution achieves this status by donating $5,000 or more to CPOF. New sponsors were honored during the national CPOF PROJECT 2000 XXXIV event in Bellevue, Washington, where six members of our team also were recognized as assault survivors. The Missouri Department of Corrections Honor Guard took part in the ceremonies and events.
22. We had each others’ backs.
Our Division of Human Services took staff support to the next level in 2024. Mental health and trauma staff became certified in CISM Assisting Individuals and Groups in Crisis through a selective International Critical Incident Stress Foundation program and started training fellow corrections staff to handle crisis situations and provide peer support. In 2024, 189 team members completed the peer training. We also helped 92 team members and 46 of their support people during four Post Critical Incident Seminars (PCIS), three-day intensively focused therapeutic events designed to assist corrections personnel who have experienced traumatic stress following involvement in a serious incident.
23. We brought families together.
Kids, parents, spouses and other family members entered the secure perimeter of our adult institutions for picnics, parties and fun days with their loved ones this year. We hosted staff family days, complete with prison tours, food, games and bounce houses. We also hosted resident family days, during which kids and families got to spend quality time with their incarcerated loved ones outside the confines of a visiting room, playing sports, eating home-cooked meals and taking walks in the sun. The Empowering Dads Embracing Fatherhood program had its biggest turnout yet, with 14 kids and 10 dads spending the day playing on the playground and making holiday decorations.
24. We crafted community connections.
Throughout the state, residents of Missouri prisons found ways to serve the surrounding communities. Volunteers cultivating Restorative Justice Gardens in prisons and at Probation & Parole facilities donated more than 40,000 pounds of fresh produce to area food banks and other nonprofit organizations. Volunteer artisans hand-crafted quilts, toys, backpacks, benches, birdhouses, leather goods, artwork and scores of other items for donation to nonprofit organizations that made use of them directly or featured them in fundraising auctions and raffles. Restorative Justice participants raised more than $13,000 for donation to local community organizations. They also created more than 10,000 learning tools for students through the organization KidSmart.