Minnesota Corrections Association Annual Training Institute

A corrections officer escorts a handcuffed individual through a secure facility.

I am proud to have represented Meuser, Yackley & Rowland, P.A. at this year’s MCA Annual Training Institute, hosted by Grandview Lodge in Nisswa, Minnesota.

The Minnesota Corrections Association (MCA) was founded in 1933 and works tirelessly to promote the “Professional development of individuals working in all aspects of the corrections field and to promote ethical and just correctional practice.” We were Diamond Sponsors of this year’s event, and continue to support the good work done by the MCA on behalf of their members.

The 2021 conference focused largely on the mental health of Correction Officers and trauma care for inmates. Several breakout sessions discussed the impact of repeated trauma that Correction Officers encounter on a daily basis. While other first responders find themselves in different situations with each shift, Correction Officers deal with the same inmates, the same behavior patterns, and the same significant job stressors each time they report for duty. Both exposure patterns are impactful to those on our front lines, and both require comprehensive care and treatment.

I had the opportunity to talk with many of the attendees during breaks and social hours. I was pleased that so many more individuals are open to discussing the mental and emotional challenges of their job. Once so stigmatized, conversations about depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are slowly coming out into the open. The job of a correction officer is also is physically demanding, and bodily injuries and foreign substance exposures are commonplace.

While many of the exhibitors discussed the ways Correction Officers can better deal with external conflict, the team at Meuser, Yackley & Rowland is firmly committed to helping these officers take care of themselves. Our focus on serving the first responder community gives us a unique perspective into these workplace challenges and allows us to be particularly adept at protecting their rights and securing the benefits to which they are entitled. We are experts in the MSRS and PERA Correctional Plans and can navigate this difficult system on their behalf.

I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude for the MCA, for our Correction Officers, and for everyone putting themselves in the path of danger, day in and day out, to protect the community.

Mark Triola, Attorney