WITNESS
William Hepner is a Program Development Specialist for the Corrections Staff Training Academy at the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC). He has been employed by the NJDOC for over 22 years and has worked in four correctional facilities in addition to his current position. Some of his duties at the Academy include developing and updating training programs for the state correction officer recruits and the implementation of the Stress Management Training for the department's employees, recruits and their families. In 2001, he was designated the Project Director for the Corrections and Law Enforcement Family Support Program, a federally funded pilot program addressing correctional officers' stress, and was responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of the project. Presently, Mr. Hepner is the Chairperson of the NJDOC Wellness Committee
Mr. Hepner has been trained by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., and serves on the committee for the NJDOC Critical Incident Stress Management Program, where he helped develop and coordinate the department's Critical Incident Stress Management Team. As a Critical Incident Stress Management Team Leader, he represented the NJDOC at Ground Zero in New York City immediately following September 11, 2001.
Mr. Hepner earned a Bachelor degree in Health and Physical Education as well as his New Jersey Teaching Certificate from the College of New Jersey. He holds a Master of Education degree with an emphasis in Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology from Temple University.
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STATEMENT
Occupational stress is a pervasive problem within all correctional jurisdictions…. Faced with an ever-increasing inmate population, more stringent sentencing laws restricting inmate releases, and tougher restrictions and sanctions for inmate misconduct, Corrections Officers face the daily challenges of effectively managing the inmate population as well as their own stress levels.
…Officers often cope with the psychological effects of this work environment by engaging in behaviors such as self-medication (alcohol, drugs, and tobacco), denial, repression and displacement of unpleasant feelings onto others, particularly family members. The physiological effects of stress include, but are not limited to: increased blood pressure, weight gain, increased illness, morbidity and even death.
On a national level and more recently, according to the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation (CPOF) project statistics published in 2004, there were 39 deaths in the line of duty in the four years preceding the report. The suicide rate for corrections was 39% higher than that of other professions (Archives of Suicide Research, 1997.) The Society of Actuaries, in 1994 reported that Corrections Officers had the second highest mortality rate of all occupations. The Metropolitan Life Actuary Statistics, 1998, reported age 58 as the average life expectancy of a Corrections Officer.
Rates of domestic violence within law enforcement families are reported to be four (4) times higher than those of the general populace. Family members of Corrections Officers face significant challenges as the officer often utilizes domestic partners and children as a coping mechanism, both positively and negatively. …Research in the correctional field has indicated that officer training paired with the environment in which Corrections Officers spend much of their time, may contribute to dysfunction in their personal lives and relationships.…
Excerpted from a written statement submitted to the Commission
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