Strategic Initiatives
Correctional Nurses Across the US Meet to Examine Nursing Intervention
Classifications for the Specialty
On September 4, 2025, over 50 nurses from across the US representing jails, prisons, detention centers, community corrections and other settings where incarcerated persons are provided nursing services will convene to discuss the National Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) for the specialty which has not been updated for Correctional Nursing for 20 years. Led by the American Correctional Nurses Association and the Center for Correctional Nursing in partnership in partnership with the University of Iowa College of Nursing, the work completed is expected to expand and clarify the contemporary role of Correctional Nursing which has grown more complex over time.
“It is exciting to have this opportunity to gain visibility for the work that nurses do with these very sick patients who are involved with the justice system”, stated Mrs. Norman, President, ACNA. The NIC has been used in clinical reasoning models, which enhance nursing decision-making and is one of the standardized languages recognized by the American Nurses' Association (ANA). NIC is included in the Unified Medial Language System (UMLS) in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and in the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). NIC is also included in The Joint Commission as one nursing classification system that can be used to meet the standard on uniform data. NIC has also been linked with the Healthy People 2030 Social Determinants of Health.
Hundreds of health care agencies have adopted NIC for use in standards, care plans, competency evaluation, and nursing information systems; nursing education programs are using NIC to structure curriculum and identify competencies of graduating nurses; authors of major texts are using NIC to discuss nursing treatments; and researchers are using NIC to study the effectiveness of nursing care, as NIC provides standardized ways to document progress on achieving patients’ goals. The evidence demonstrates that research conducted in health care organizations that use NIC produces meaningful data that are a valid representation of nursing care and amenable to efficient processing and analysis, demonstrate relationships between nursing care plan components and patient outcomes, and assist the care provider in targeting areas of need, such as social determinants of health.
The NIC has been featured in research publications linking nursing diagnoses (NANDA-I) and nursing outcomes (Nursing Outcomes Classification [NOC]). These three languages, known as NNN (NANDA-I, NIC, NOC) can be linked in determining patient plans of care. As such, they have been used most often in research and secondary data analysis worldwide, are suitable for use in secondary analysis of EHR data and have sound taxonomic nursing structures (including definitions on all classification levels). Finally, the NNN are observable or measurable, making them more amenable to mapping.
Of interest, NIC has been demonstrated in several other countries and has been translated for use in these countries as well. The Correctional Nursing Specialty NIC will be disseminated separately for further discussion and use following finalization of the classification process and validation by participants and an opportunity for public input.
Through collaboration with our growing network of partners, C4CN strives to influence the impact of policies and initiatives related to the wellness of the nation’s correctional nursing workforce.
We are thankful to the many committee and task force volunteers who continue to contribute their expertise to this work of strategic initiatives.
We are also committed to building relationships with new partners to expand our network, enhance education and practice environments for correctional nurses which ultimately impacts the health and well being of the public.
For more information on our strategic initiatives, please contact us at c4cnursing@gmail.com
Red Ribbon Week
Ranee M. Wright, MSN, APNP, PMHNP-BC, CCHP-CP, CCHP-MH is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with more than 22 years of experience in nursing and behavioral health, including extensive work within correctional healthcare. Her clinical interests include trauma-informed care, substance use recovery, mental health promotion, and improving wellness for justice-involved populations.
She is the creator of the Justice-Involved Red Ribbon Week Toolkit, a free educational resource designed to help correctional facilities meaningfully participate in Red Ribbon Week through recovery-focused, evidence-informed programming. Ranee is passionate about bridging gaps in correctional health education by creating practical, accessible resources that support both incarcerated individuals and the professionals who care for them.
Justice-Involved Red Ribbon Week Toolkit
The Justice-Involved Red Ribbon Week Toolkit is a free educational resource developed specifically for justice-involved settings.
Recognizing that traditional Red Ribbon Week materials are largely designed for schools and community organizations, this toolkit addresses the unique needs of justice-involved populations through trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and evidence-informed educational materials.
The toolkit includes resources that encourage self-reflection, recovery planning, healthy coping skills, relapse prevention, mental wellness, harm reduction education, goal setting, and personal growth. Activities are designed to be practical, easy to implement, and adaptable for use within jails, prisons, juvenile facilities, and community corrections.
The goal is simple:
To promote hope, recovery, education, and healthier futures for justice-involved individuals while supporting correctional professionals with ready-to-use programming.