There are moments in this profession that test the limits of even the most seasoned communicator.
In recent weeks, the corrections community has experienced two devastating losses. In New York, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision mourned the death of a chaplain who reportedly entered an administrative building with a firearm and took his own life. In Virginia, the Department of Corrections grieved the line-of-duty death of Master Corrections Officer Jeremy Lewis Hall, who was killed during a violent assault.
These tragedies were different in circumstance, but the impact is heartbreakingly similar. Two lives were lost. Families are devastated. Coworkers and colleagues are left heartbroken. Entire agencies are grieving. Both individuals mattered. Their service mattered. Their absence is deeply felt within the corrections profession.
For those tasked with communicating on behalf of their agencies, these moments represent some of the hardest stories to tell. They are the stories that hit close to home.
The Weight of the Message
When a tragedy involves one of our own, every word carries added weight. The responsibility is not only to inform, but to care. Communicators must hold space for grief while upholding the agency’s commitment to transparency. They must acknowledge loss without deepening trauma.
In the early hours after a tragedy, a public information officer may feel pressure to prepare a statement quickly to meet the demands of media, leadership, or the public. But compassion must come before cadence.
The most urgent task is not releasing a message. It is ensuring the right people hear it first.
Internal notification must come before external acknowledgment. No correctional officer, nurse, teacher, chaplain, or support staff member should ever learn of a colleague’s death through a news alert or social media post. Every correctional agency should have, and routinely practice, a notification process that prioritizes dignity, accuracy, and empathy.
Transparency does not always mean immediacy. It means intentionality.
A Trauma-Informed Approach
A death within the corrections family, whether by suicide or in the line of duty, is not just a public information event. It is a traumatic event. Trauma-informed communication requires more than professional composure. It requires humility, compassion, and restraint.
PIOs and communications staff should avoid unnecessary details about methods or locations, which research shows can contribute to additional distress. Messaging should focus on the loss, not the act, and center the individual’s life and service rather than the circumstances of their death.
Available support should be clearly named and repeatedly shared. Peer support teams, chaplain services, and Employee Assistance Programs must be visible and accessible. Messages should be aligned internally and externally so leadership, human resources, and communications speak with one compassionate voice.
In a 2025 article I wrote for Corrections1 titled Officer injuries and line of duty deaths: Communicating with compassion and clarity, I outlined many of these same principles. While that article focused primarily on line-of-duty deaths, the strategies apply equally here, particularly the importance of empathy, timing, and a human-centered approach to internal communication before any public release.
Balancing Privacy and Transparency
PIOs often walk an impossible line during tragedy. There is pressure for immediate information, alongside an obligation to protect family privacy.
Media inquiries are natural, and agencies understandably want to shield their people from further harm. Striking that balance requires thoughtful coordination with leadership and legal counsel.
If family notification has not yet been completed, communicators should say so. Acknowledging the situation broadly and committing to provide updates when appropriate can be more effective than issuing a detailed statement. A brief, compassionate message often says more than a lengthy release ever could.
Sometimes, the most powerful message a communicator can issue is not information. It is care.
Context Shapes Communication
Every tragedy carries its own circumstances, and effective communication must reflect the needs of the moment.
In New York, the response was appropriately quiet. Messaging was largely internal and focused on staff care, privacy, and respect for the family. Public messaging was limited, which in itself can be a thoughtful and intentional communications decision. Not every tragedy requires a public-facing narrative. Sometimes leadership is demonstrated through restraint.
In Virginia, the line-of-duty death of Officer Hall unfolded very publicly. The Department of Corrections was called upon to speak not only to its workforce, but also to a grieving community and a national corrections audience. In that moment, the department’s messaging consistently reflected empathy, care, and compassion. Leadership messages were led from the heart, and public updates acknowledged loss while honoring service. It is reasonable to believe the same tone carried through internal communications as well.
These approaches were different, but both were appropriate. Both centered people. Both demonstrated care.
Communicating for Healing
After the immediate crisis passes, communication becomes part of the healing process.
Leadership messages should be authentic, human, and reflective. Sterile or procedural language has no place in the aftermath of personal loss. When leaders acknowledge emotion, not just process, they help staff feel seen and supported.
Messages should include gratitude for service, acknowledgment of the emotional impact on staff, reminders of available resources, and encouragement to check in with one another. Even small gestures can have a lasting effect. A handwritten note, a shared moment of silence, or a simple question asking if someone is okay can mean more than people realize.
These messages are remembered long after the press releases fade.
The PIO’s Own Wellbeing
It is easy to forget that the communicator may also be grieving.
PIOs and communications professionals are not removed from the environments they serve. They have relationships, shared experiences, and emotional ties within their agencies. They feel the loss just as deeply as others, while still carrying the responsibility of speaking for the organization.
PIOs need the same support offered to line staff. Peer support, chaplain services, Employee Assistance Programs, and informal check-ins all matter. Strong communication begins with a communicator who is supported and cared for.
Preparing Before the Crisis
Communicators can and should prepare for tragedies long before they occur.
Agencies should develop templates and protocols that can be quickly adapted for staff deaths or mental health crises. Internal contact lists must be kept current so next of kin and staff are notified in the proper order. Relationships with peer support teams, chaplains, and EAP providers should be built before they are needed.
Leaders should also be coached on what not to say. Silence, when appropriate, and sincerity are often safer than speculation.
Closing Thoughts
In corrections, we prepare for almost every type of emergency. Escapes, fires, disturbances, and natural disasters. But few prepare for the quiet emergencies of the heart.
When tragedy strikes within our own walls, the role of the communicator shifts from crisis control to compassionate connection. This is when words matter most, not for what they reveal, but for what they protect.
On behalf of Corrections Communicated, we extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those lost in New York and Virginia. We also recognize and commend the communicators and leaders who worked through unimaginable tragedy, served as steady guides for their teams, and led with empathy when it mattered most. In moments of profound loss, your words provided care, your leadership offered stability, and your compassion shared light with a corrections community that was grieving alongside you.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available at any time. Call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Within your agency, peer support teams, chaplains, and Employee Assistance Programs are there to listen and to help.
Because when the story hits home, the message must come from the heart.