MCA Monthly Workshop:
Cultural Diversity
August 13, 2025
9:00 a.m. - Noon
Via Zoom

Sponsor Spotlight: 
R.A.I.N. of North America

This workshop is also eligible for Board of Social Work CEU's

Sponsor Spotlight
R.A.I.N. of North America

Since 2008, RAIN has provided holistic reentry housing options throughout the upper Midwest, while assisting with creating networks of welcoming churches, employers, and landlords, as well as home ownership options. 

Presented by:  John Henderson

John is the founder of RAIN … a faith based aftercare network with 478 beds in MN. His vision is to see adult men and women be set free through the application of Biblical principles as they cross over to become valued members of our communities. 

Workshop
Cultural Diversity

The goal of this workshop is to identify ways that corrections staff can interact with offenders and staff from different races and ethnic groups in positive ways, without bigotry and racial stereotyping.

Objectives:  

• Gain insight as to the many cultures & minorities represented in offender populations.
• Learn effective ways to manage offenders of varying cultures & minorities, to have a ‘smooth shift.’
• Identify how to avoid negative behavior by staff towards both offenders and staff.

Workshop Description:  Like the community population, the offender population is a ‘melting pot’ of different ethnic groups and minorities. It is important that the corrections staff respect this diversity and conduct themselves professionally. Bigotry and racial stereotyping have no place in corrections. This class will discuss cultural diversity among offenders, how staff can have a good relationship with these offenders, avoid bigotry, and earn the offenders’ respect. Reducing racial tension, avoiding racial profiling and de-escalating tensions with both offenders and staff will be discussed.

Presented by:  1^st Lt. Gary F. Cornelius

1^st Lt. Gary F. Cornelius, Ret., Fairfax County, VA Office of the Sheriff, corrections trainer, author & consultant.  Lt. Cornelius presents jail in-service training in Virginia and has written several books about corrections: The High-Performance Correctional Facility: Lessons on Correctional Work, Leadership and Effectiveness (2022), Stressed Out: Strategies for Living and Working in Corrections, Third Edition (2024), The Correctional Officer:  A Practical Guide, Third Edition (2017) & The Art of the Con: Avoiding Offender Manipulation, Second Edition, (2009).  He develops training materials and webinars for Justice Clearinghouse and Lexipol and writes a column for the National Sheriffs’ Association.

*Please add admin@ourmca.org to your e-mail safe sender list

*If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail immediately after you register, please contact the MCA office. 
Call/text 651-515-3254
or e-mail mca-mn@hotmail.com  

Register for This Workshop Today!  
Registration will close at 4:00 p.m.2 days before event

MCA Monthly Workshop:
Applying the Biopsychosocial Model in
Criminal Justice Settings
September 10, 2025
9:00 a.m. - Noon
Via Zoom

Sponsor Spotlight by Al-Maa'uun

This workshop is also eligible for Board of Social Work CEU's

Sponsor Spotlight
Al-Maa'uun presented by Tyrus Hayes

Al-Maa’uun is a whole family (2Gen) organization and a certified Recovery Community Organization (RCO) committed to uplifting individuals and families through comprehensive support services. Rooted in a deep belief in community, dignity, and empowerment, we focus on addressing the interconnected needs of parents and children together to create long-term stability and opportunity.

Our services include job training programs that lead to livable wage employment, along with food assistance and housing support to ensure basic needs are met. We offer a robust youth mentoring program that nurtures leadership, resilience, and purpose, as well as peer-to-peer support services that foster healing and connection for individuals in recovery or transition.

Workshop
Applying the Biopsychosocial Model in Criminal Justice Settings

The goal of this workshop is to encourage criminal justice and mental health professionals to become informed on the biopsychosocial model and how this can be applied to justice-involved populations.

Objectives:  

• Define the biopsychosocial model and other related topics.
• Learn about various prenatal and postnatal biopsychosocial factors associated with criminal behavior and poor health outcomes among justice-involved individuals.
• Discuss biopsychosocial-informed approaches to interviewing, intake, screening, and intervention for justice-involved individuals.
• Learn how neurocriminology, lifestyle medicine, neuronutrition, and other related fields of study can be incorporated into a biopsychosocial model approach for justice-involved populations.

Workshop Description: 

The biopsychosocial model is an emerging multifaceted approach and framework with clear benefits for justice-involved individuals. This holistic framework considers the biological, psychological, and social elements that affect health, well-being, and behavioral health problems. As such, the biopsychosocial model is particularly well suited to help address the diverse array of physical and mental health problems, prenatal/postnatal trauma, cognitive impairments, unhealthy lifestyle practices, and histories of health disparities commonly experienced by justice-involved individuals. Designed for professionals working in criminal justice settings, this training provides an overview of the biopsychosocial model and encourages its application in interactions with justice-involved clients. Key topics include how the biopsychosocial model can enhance and provide a valuable framework to use during the intake and screening processes, goal and treatment planning (including court-mandated treatment), interviewing techniques and approaches, community supervision (e.g., probation and parole), and case management. Research findings from the following fields of study, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), attachment theory, the first 1,000 days of life, lifestyle medicine, neurocriminology, and nutritional neuroscience, will be incorporated throughout this training to provide you with a more comprehensive understanding of this approach. A primary goal of this training is to encourage criminal justice professionals to become biopsychosocial model-informed. We invite you to think about how you can incorporate the biopsychosocial model into the work you are currently doing or are considering doing in the future. Together, we can create a more effective and compassionate approach to serving justice-involved individuals. Join us in becoming biopsychosocial model-informed and make a difference in the lives of justice-involved individuals.

Presented by:  Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S.

Jerrod is a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Jerrod has also provided consultation services to a number of caregivers, professionals, and organizations pertaining to topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), intellectual and developmental disabilities, confabulation, suggestibility, memory, Miranda rights comprehension issues, sleep disturbances, trauma and other life adversities, alexithymia, executive dysfunction, criminal recidivism, serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth firesetting. Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Medical Biochemistry, Exercise Prescription, Neuroscience and the Law, Neuropsychology, Dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). In 2021, Jerrod completed a post-doctoral certificate in Leadership and Organizational Strategy from Walden University and a Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology from San Diego State University Global Campus. In 2023, Jerrod completed a diabetes care and education certificate from Central Arizona College. Currently, Jerrod is pursuing his fifth master’s degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition from Northeast College of Health Sciences. Jerrod has also conducted over 300 workshops, webinars, and on-demand trainings for various organizations and professional and student audiences. Jerrod has published several articles and book chapters, and recently, co-edited the book Forensic Mental Health: A Source Guide for Professionals (Brown & Weinkauf, 2018) with Erv Weinkauf. Jerrod has also been quoted in various magazines, newspapers, and other professional outlets. Jerrod is also regularly featured on several national and international podcast programs.

*Please add admin@ourmca.org to your e-mail safe sender list

*If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail immediately after you register, please contact the MCA office. 
Call/text 651-515-3254
or e-mail mca-mn@hotmail.com  

Register for This Workshop Today!  
Registration will close at 4:00 p.m.2 days before event

MCA Monthly Workshop:
What to do when you are injured at work
October 8, 2025
9:00 a.m. - Noon
Via Zoom

Certificates of completion available for this workshop

Workshop
What to do when you are injured at work.

The goal of this workshop is: To help corrections staff understand their rights and available benefits after a work-related injury so they feel confident knowing what steps to take if an injury occurs.

Objectives:  

• Learn what types of work-related injuries are covered under the law.

• Gain a clear understanding of the benefits available to you after an on-duty injury.
• Discover the key steps you must take to protect your rights after an on-duty injury.

Presented by:   Lindsey Rowland, Attorney and Managing Partner at Meuser, Yackley & Rowland, P.A.

Credentials:

• J.D., Magna Cum Laude; University of St. Thomas School of Law; Minneapolis, MN
• M.B.A., Xavier University; Cincinnati, OH
• B.A., Graduated with Distinction; University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI

Attorney Lindsey Rowland is a relentless advocate for injured workers across Minnesota, with a focus on representing first responders injured in the line of duty. She has represented hundreds of first responders and has successfully argued cases at every level of the Minnesota judicial system, including the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings, the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and the Minnesota Supreme Court. In recognition of her professional achievements and commitment to her clients, she was named a 2025 Minnesota Rising Star by Super Lawyers, an honor reserved for no more than 2.5% of attorneys in the state. Beyond her courtroom accomplishments, Lindsey is committed to promoting education around injured workers’ rights and regularly presents at Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars and union meetings on legal issues affecting first responders

*Please add admin@ourmca.org to your e-mail safe sender list

*If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail immediately after you register, please contact the MCA office. 
Call/text 651-515-3254
or e-mail mca-mn@hotmail.com  

Register for This Workshop Today!  
Registration will close at 4:00 p.m.2 days before event

October 28-30, 2025
Grand View Lodge
Nisswa, MN

~Note Tuesday-Thursday Dates~

Tuesday the conference starts at 
10 a.m. with the Awards followed by lunch
Sponsored by Midwest Monitoring & Surveillance
1:00 p.m. Sessions Begin

Past President's Breakfast Sponsored by
Sponsored by 180 Degrees

Keynote Speakers: 
Alexandra Walker
Resilient Optimism: Failing Forward in Frontline Work

Jason Anderson
What's Missing Here? Essential Factors for Transformation

Be sure to bookmark and visit the Annual Training Institute
webpages for all of the conference details
https://www.ourmca.org/2025-Annual-Training-Institute

If your agency would like to sign up multiple attendees and receive a single invoice,   
e-mail Debbie Beltz in the MCA office for more details.
mca-mn@hotmail.com