National Institute Of Corrections

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is a subdivision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the Department of Justice. The NIC was created in response to a keynote address by Justice Warren E. Burger to the National Conference on Corrections in Williamsburg, Virginia. Justice Burger suggested that an agency should be created to handle national training, promote research and knowledge, develop professional guidelines and standards, and facilitate the exchange of ideas in corrections. His recommendations led to the formation of the NIC in 1974.

Today, a director appointed by the U.S. Attorney General administrates the NIC in conjunction with a 16-member advisory board. The NIC also utilizes staff employed by state and local governments who are appointed for two-year periods. The NIC has two offices in Washington, D.C., and Longmont, Colorado, that coordinate training, technical assistance, policy and program development, and provide information to federal, state, and local correctional agencies. The NIC provides direct assistance in the form of training, program development, and information to adult correctional agencies and personnel. It does not work with juvenile correctional agencies, but it does collaborate with other federal agencies on juvenile corrections, sex offender programs, and the 1994 Crime Bill.

The NIC uses many strategies to meet the goals set forth by local, state, and federal correctional agencies. Jails, prisons, and community-based correctional agencies can utilize information provided by the NIC on planning and management services, education, training and professionalism, and program development. The NIC also provides research opportunities on programs and policies that improve the organizational structure and operation of correctional agencies. Finally, the NIC works to provide programming that holds offenders accountable for their actions, emphasizes public safety and the safety of inmates, and facilitates responsible behavior among corrections staff and inmates.