Ways in which Past the Edges can assist you in assessing, designing, and implementing meaningful & relevant staff training/professional development:

• Implementation of a unique training opportunity for rookie officers or veteran staff that incorporates participation of incarcerated students. This course can be adjusted to accommodate your organizational goals. Successfully implemented for correctional professionals and police departments/academies. Dr. Lopez and her team can facilitate the training or train your trainers to implement. Topics covered include cultural diversity, implicit bias, community policing, and building trust between communities and peace officers. Our presenters are dynamic and engaging. Benefits of this innovative training are improved organizational culture, increased facility safety, gained understanding of trust-building skills, and improved community policing. Referrals are available upon request if you’d like to hear from organizations that have experienced our training model.

• Implementation of a staff re-entry simulation activity to increase understanding of the challenges returning citizens face in the first month of reintegration. The simulation is one hour in duration, every 15 minutes representing one week of the first month of re-entry. The engaging and educational first hour is then followed by a debriefing of what participants learned and how that knowledge could impact pre and post-release offerings.

• Needs assessment for training or high interest professional development

• Evaluation of training effectiveness

• Creation of training curricula, lesson plans, and/or training programs (paper-based, for in-person presentations, or e-learning)

• Assistance in securing contractors or subject matter experts to augment your training needs

• Presentation of professional development or training sessions. Dr. Lopez or Past the Edges team members can provide training or professional development we develop together, or you can choose from the following offerings. Don’t see what you need? Contact us and we’ll develop it for you.

  • Cultural Links: Building Staff Compassion While Maintaining Safety

  • Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in a Secure (or Alternative) Setting

  • Mass Incarceration in the U.S. and Global Criminal Justice Reforms

  • The Impact of Pre-Release CTE Programs on Post-Release Employment

  • Recidivism and What It Means for Pre-Release Programming

  • Differentiated Learning in a Secure Setting

  • Using Choice-Menus in the Classroom

  • How do Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Affect Adult Behavior?

  • Why Educate an Inmate?

  • Intro to Correctional Culture for Educators

  • Security Awareness for Educators

  • A Team Approach to Correctional Education

  • The Importance of Using Technology & Teaching 21st Century Tech Skills in Secure Settings

  • Creating a Strategic Plan

  • Leadership and Aspiring Leaders training series

  • Obligations of Correctional Institutions to provide a Free And Public Education (FAPE) to Eligible Individuals Under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)

  • From Burned Out to Fired Up!

  • Leadership Engagement Model

  • Employee Engagement Model

  • Executive Leadership Toolkit

  • The Intersection of Human Performance and Organizational System Design