Adverse events in correctional settings—suicide attempts, medical crises, delayed responses, preventable deaths—rarely stem from a single failure. More often, they arise from gaps between teams: unclear communication, mismatched priorities, or inconsistent practices. The encouraging reality is that every one of these risks can be reduced through intentional, structured collaboration between custody and health services.
As someone who has worked in correctional leadership for many years, I have said repeatedly that collaboration is not a “soft skill.” It is a safety strategy.
We’re All Facing the Same Pressures
Both custody and health care professionals operate in challenging conditions:
- Staffing shortages and heavy workloads
- A population with high medical, mental health, and substance-use acuity
- Increasing public scrutiny and legal expectations
- A fast-paced operational environment where seconds matter
Despite different training and roles, our missions overlap far more than they diverge. We are both responsible for ensuring that the people in our care remain safe, healthy, and treated with dignity. When we work together, outcomes improve—across the board.
Shared Communication Prevents Small Issues From Becoming Emergencies
Custody staff often see early warning signs—changes in behavior, withdrawal symptoms, or signs of distress. When communication channels are open and trusted, these observations reach clinical staff quickly, allowing for timely intervention.
Unified Policies Create Predictable, Safer Responses
Policies built collaboratively—rather than in silos—ensure that both teams understand roles during intake, emergency response, segregation decisions, and ongoing care. Clarity prevents hesitation and reduces risk during critical moments.
Joint Training Builds Competence and Confidence
Interdisciplinary drills and practice scenarios expose gaps before a crisis does. Training together normalizes teamwork under pressure and ensures that when a true emergency occurs, staff respond as a cohesive unit.
Leadership Drives Culture
Leaders set the tone. When leaders model partnership, prioritize open discussion, and “inspect what they expect,” staff follow suit. Facilities where leaders intentionally bridge custody and health services consistently experience fewer adverse outcomes.
Collaboration Reduces Liability by Reducing Risk
Most adverse events involve breakdowns in communication, screening, or continuity of care. When we operate as one team, these breakdowns become far less frequent—and the entire facility becomes safer.
Practical Steps Any Facility Can Implement Now
Reinforce a Shared Mission
Remind teams regularly that care, custody, and control are interdependent responsibilities. A safe facility requires all three working in sync.
Hold Regular, Meaningful Administrative Meetings
These meetings should be solution-focused, with clear follow-up. Use them to address trends, review incidents, and align expectations.
Make Interdisciplinary Drills Routine
Man-down, medical emergency, and mass-casualty drills ensure that teams understand each other’s roles and can respond quickly and confidently.
Create and Review Policies Together
Whether it’s intake screening, suicide prevention, or medication continuity, co-authored procedures build clarity, buy-in, and consistency.
Encourage Empathetic Communication
Listening to understand—rather than to react—reduces friction, builds trust, and allows both teams to work toward shared goals.
The Bottom Line: Collaboration Saves Lives
A collaborative culture is built through everyday actions: a conversation at lineup, a joint review of a difficult incident, a drill that improves confidence, a shift where custody and medical staff problem-solve side by side. These small moments build trust—and trust is the foundation of safety.
When custody and health care professionals work together as one team, everyone benefits: staff feel supported, patients receive better care, operations run more smoothly, and the risk of adverse events is significantly reduced.
We share the same mission. We face the same pressures. And when we collaborate with intention and respect, we achieve the same outcome: a safer, healthier environment for all.
By Fred W. Meyer, MA, CJM, CCHP
Managing Director, NCCHC Resources, Inc.