Hello, my name is Patrick Mirandy, the Director of the 
National Institute of Corrections, widely known as the NIC. 
It is an honor of my career to lead this agency.

NIC has moved the needle in the field of corrections in criminal
justice for over 50 years.

NIC was established in 1974 as a result
of the Attica Prison riots, which occurred in 1971.

NIC received funding in 1977 from the Federal Bureau
of Prisons, which helped streamline efforts such
as the NIC Information Center and Library in 1980.
And the NIC Training Academy, which was launched in 1981.

NIC started a chain reaction in the world of corrections
and criminal justice, that still continues to expand today.

NIC has some tremendous staff who've helped shape
corrections across the country and they have for years.

But I was hearing through some of the people
within our own organization, they really didn't know
what the mission of NIC was or even what we do.

Now, just as before, I want to reintroduce NIC to the staff
of the BOP through publications, our own Sallyport publication.

I want to also reintroduce it to the nation
through national gatherings such as ACA, CLA, APPA.

Recently I was at a CLA event and I was approached by numerous directors
from across the nation and other state systems that related,
"we're so glad to have NIC back at the table."

I wanted everyone to know we are back.

As NIC evolves within the corrections and criminal justice system,
it is important to reflect on where we've come from
and the partnerships we've developed over the past 50 years.

- In 1971, the Attica riots was basically the genesis for the start
of the National Institute of Corrections. The Attorney General 
Department of Justice realized that more attention needed to be paid
to our nation's jails and corrections facilities.

- Many years ago when I joined the department, 
we were focused on punishment and there wasn't as much 
training and programming and rehabilitation going on.

And we've created this Maine Model of Corrections,
which really has dignity and respect at the center,
at the very core of what we do.

- I think NIC does a great job in marrying this idea
of research and practitioner input to really move the field
and provide the field with what they need.

- Way back in the beginning, they were looking to reach out
and work with practitioners at both the local
and state level, which was something that hadn't been done.

And they really were trying to examine
what was the needs in terms of staff development.

They wanted to look at the system itself.

So their purpose really was to advance research knowledge
with local practitioners and really engage with them.

- You know, they provided the gold standard in training
and identifying best practices nationally
and bringing the rest of the nation together.

- One of the things that we very early recognized was
that locking folks behind a solid steel door
for 23 hours a day was not how we were supposed
to be housing folks who had mental illness.
The problem was our physical plant didn't allow us
to do a lot more than that.

We engaged with the National Institute of Corrections.
We knew that we wanted to pursue building a new facility.
All of those classes and technical assistance were things
that moved our county from these old antiquated
rundown facilities to what we have today,
which is probably considered one
of the best facilities in the country.

- There are a lot of stakeholders that benefit from NIC,
first and foremost, the correctional staff,
anywhere from a line staff member all the way
through an executive leader.

They benefit from NIC through the critical training,
the leadership development and the resources that they provide
to correctional officers and probation officers.

- Let's talk about the people that are incarcerated.
They're not folks that should be discarded
because 95% of them are coming back to our community
because we know they're coming back to our community,
we have to then decide how do we want them to come back.
Fair, equitable and constitutional treatment will ensure
that they can take their proper place
so they benefit from the efforts of NIC.

- I think probably the biggest key moment was the principles
that NIC developed for evidence-based practice
for community supervision.

One of the things that it really did was instead of trying
to catch people doing something wrong, what we're trying
to do is incentivize them to continue to do something good.

- You know, thinking back 183 years ago when the father
of probation, John Augustus, you know,
the concept is still the same today.
What's different is the innovative approaches
that we use to supervise the people on supervision.
If it wasn't for NIC, some of those innovative approaches
would never spread throughout the country.

- Today, NIC is made up of former departments
of corrections directors, wardens, deputy wardens,
jail administrators, and probation chiefs,
all of which constitutes a wealth of experience
and knowledge that is then used
to strategically be resourced back
into our correctional systems and communities.

NIC serves this field and communities across the nation
by delivering quality performance,
such as providing technical assistance to state
and local corrections for the development
of their improved processes,
and structured approaches to training.

Partnering with contracting organizations
to help further the mission of NIC
through more innovative solutions,
and implementing a specific informational center
and digital library, which can be used
to address emerging issues
within the scope of corrections
amongst many others.

- I think NIC has played a really important role in that
even though they're involved in what's happening
in the justice system, they're not in it, they're more,
are able to look at it in a broader perspective
and have offered a lot of services
to jurisdictions over the years
that would not have received
help from any other agency.

- Having subject matter experts arrive in my facilities,
observe and, you know, consider, you know,
and they say that in a way, have you considered this?

Have you considered that?

How can we help you evolve and get you where you want to be?
And so our most important asset at the Maine Department of
Corrections are our officers and the rest of the staff that serve.
And if they're healthy, if they're trained,
if they feel valued, our operation significantly improves.

- When I was at the New York State Division of Parole,
NIC was very valuable in assisting us
in developing our parole board guidelines.
As we moved along, they grew
and really collaborated with local people coming in
and providing a safe space for us
to really talk about issues
and really work to come up with solutions to the issues
that we were all facing.

- They were innovators and they were working in an organization
that at that time was completely focused on men
in the criminal justice system.
And so I consider them to be pioneers
and the experience for me to work with them
and for them to kind of bring me in
as a partner and a consultant.

And that's really the way the Gender Responsive
Strategies Project evolved.
I really respect the work that NIC did to open the dialogue
across the country for looking at women involved in the
criminal justice system.

- NIC twice a year provides a format for us to get together.
They provide a structured agenda, but they also provide the
opportunity for us to interact
and network as colleagues throughout the nation.
And that's been one of the biggest things
that NIC has provided, is giving that opportunity to see
what other states are doing to mirror other states,
to mimic other states, to share with other states some
of the mistakes we have made to make sure they're not repeated.

And without NIC doing that, there's no way would be in
as good a standing as we are.


- I do remember the first Pretrial Executives Network meeting
that I attended, which is a network sponsored through NIC.
And I just remember being in a room with a national agency
like the National Institute of Corrections, who was
willing to listen to me and to what I had to say
and what we were going through really, you know,
meant the world to me.

And, you know, thank you to National Institute
of Corrections for always, again,
keeping the practitioner in mind, and hearing us.

- The future of the corrections and criminal justice
system has been uncertain, but one thing remains constant.
And that is NIC's conviction to fight for not
just a fair and safe system, but one that sees
individuals for who they are
and not for what they have been labeled.

Over the next 50 years, NIC will follow the relevant
data, perform the research, strengthen communities,
and deliver undeniable, groundbreaking results in the corrections
and criminal justice system.

- 50 years from now, we're gonna collaborate
outside the United States.
They're gonna learn best practices abroad,
and they're gonna share those best practices with us
and the people throughout the world
and help make our communities safer.

- I do believe that NIC will always be on the forefront
of the research and adapting to what the
research is telling us and letting the research
drive where they go next.

- I think one of the most important things were
the relationships that I developed,
well, both with the staff of NIC, but through the networks.
And I was engaged in three different networks
through the course of my career.
And I still maintain relationships with those individuals.

- I think that NIC will continue to grow,
continue to improve and keep current with social media
so that we can all be better informed.

I think that they'll continue to be the gold standard for our industry.
They'll continue to be the liaison between national best practices
and the individual organizations.

And I would encourage anyone, whether it be an officer,
a mid manager, maybe the commissioner or director,
be more fully engaged with the NIC.

And I think that your organization will greatly benefit.

- I stand on the shoulders of the National Institute
of Corrections because I used every single program
that they had available to me to make my organization better
and to improve myself.

So I will tell future leaders, don't be afraid to ask for
help, and don't be afraid to improve your technical
and tactic efficiency by utilizing all of these programs
that are available through the National Institute of Corrections.

And oh, by the way, everything that they offer is free.

- I always use National Institute of Corrections
as a resource and look for the research and the training
and things to help me and help my staff
and others learn and do better.

The kinds of work that's happening there needs
to be continued and needs to actually continue
to elevate the importance of focusing on women
and focusing on their specific needs.

And I think NIC does a great job at that.


- It's unbelievable to think that NIC is going
to have been around for 50 years.
I started my career as part of a collaborative agreement
with the National Institute of Corrections.

I'm one of the co-authors of the Women's Risk Needs Assessment.
And so that was my graduate coursework.

And my graduate project was working on the development
of that risk assessment tool.

So NIC has been a big part of my career
and the work that I do, and I'm forever grateful for them.

- I think without a doubt, those that can benefit from NIC,
not who have benefited, but also those that can
benefit is everyone.

But the number one thing that I believe benefits
from it are our communities, because our communities are
safer because of what NIC does.

- As you may have heard, NIC has been instrumental in remodeling the corrections
and criminal justice system in more ways than one.

After 50 long years of advanced leadership,
sustained achievement and growth, there's still more to do.

This is only the beginning of the work that needs to be done
to shape the future of corrections and the criminal justice system.

With the full support of BOP Director Marshall
and the professionalism from all our staff
who deliver every day, we have an influence that'll be encouraged
beyond our borders.

And to that end, we celebrate the 50th anniversary
of the National Institute of Corrections.