This past November, four Centre staff members, Program Manager Heidi Frueh, BOP Case Manager McKenzie Murray, Case Manager Deaja Munoz, and Care Coordinator Liz Nesdahl, volunteered to assist the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation with a Reentry Simulation event for members of the North Dakota Judicial Conference. The event was held at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck and was attended by justices of the Supreme Court, as well as district and municipal court judges.
In residential reentry facilities like Centre, meaningful interactions between staff and residents are essential for promoting accountability, stability, and long-term success. To ensure these interactions occur, staff are trained in Core Correctional Practices (CCP). This training provides staff with evidence-based strategies that positively influence resident behavior, improve safety, and support lasting change that goes beyond the reentry setting. Research shows that when these practices are applied consistently and skillfully, residents experience reduced recidivism and improved outcomes due to increased motivation and strengthened cognitive skills.
To effectively train staff in these skills, training must be completed by a certified Core Correctional Practices Facilitator. The University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute (UCCI) developed a formalized training program that instructs and certifies facilitators in these protocols, enabling certified individuals to appropriately train others in the use of CCP techniques, to then be used with residents. In June 2022, Centre contracted with UCCI to travel to Fargo to train and certify four Centre staff members as Core Correctional Practices facilitators. Because Centre values the positive impact that well-trained staff can have on residents, Centre again contracted with UCCI in August 2025 to again travel to Fargo and certify an additional six staff members as facilitators.
Front row (left to right): Program Manager Heidi Frueh, Compliance Director Brianna Guler, Care Coordinator Liz Nesdahl; Back row (left to right): UCCI Trainer Scott Nyegaard, Program Director Leland Higginbotham, BOP Case Manager Dee Goebel, BOP Case Manager McKenzie Murray
The certification process, completed in August and September 2025, consisted of nearly 60 hours of in-person training conducted by Scott Nyegaard (M.S. in Industrial–Organizational Psychology; B.S. in Applied Psychology). Topics addressed during the “Train-the-Trainer” course included principles of effective intervention; Core Correctional Practices (relationship skills, effective use of reinforcement, effective use of disapproval, effective use of authority, prosocial modeling, cognitive restructuring, social skills training, and problem-solving skills); principles of an effective behavior management system; and implementation of CCP.
During the final two days of the course, the six Centre staff members delivered a live Core Correctional Practices training to 12 Residential Specialists. Mr. Nyegaard evaluated the delivery and effectiveness of each of the six facilitator candidates. At the conclusion of the training, Mr. Nyegaard successfully certified all six as Lead Trainers, bringing the agency’s total number of certified Core Correctional Practices Facilitators to 10. Having 10 certified facilitators will allow for improved scheduling of training courses and stronger adherence to CCP principles. Centre looks forward to the consistent and effective application of these skills by staff, providing residents with opportunities to reinforce responsibility and positive behavior, ultimately contributing to reduced recidivism.
Brianna Guler
Compliance Director