NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL OFFICER AND EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION WEEK

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan announced the first week in May as National Correctional Officer and Employee Appreciation Week. The President may have been motivated by a variety of things, but the fact that jailers and corrections officers have one of the highest rates of occupational injuries and sickness may have something to do with the proclamation.

National Correctional Officers Week is recognized in the first full week of May and will next be celebrated from Sunday, May 1st to Saturday May 7th, 2022. “The important work of Correctional Officers often does not receive the recognition from the public it deserves”, Reagan said, and he isn’t alone in feeling that way–the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), and the National Center for Jail Operations (NCJO) have gone on record affirming Reagan’s statements, noting that as the observance is celebrated, “we take the opportunity this week to acknowledge and thank the men and women who work in jails all across this country, most of which are administered by Sheriffs’ Offices.”