MTC serves thousands of men and women in correctional and detention facilities each day. Our mission is to help them improve their lives by giving them the tools they need to succeed.

This can only be done in a healthy environment. That’s why MTC recently launched a new initiative called ‘Health of Environment’.

This undertaking is an effort to individually analyze a correctional facility or detention center to determine how to improve general environmental conditions for residents and staff in a simple, secure, and cost-effective way. MTC consultant, Cathryn Lokey leads the initiative.

“We have people in these environments that we want to be rehabilitated,” Cathryn explained. “We want them to learn, to go out into the world and be healthier people and better able to cope. But if we have them in these environments for long periods that are just wearing away at their ability to do that, that’s going to be counterproductive.”

An analysis is the first step. “So, that’s what we’re doing is going into the environments and doing an informal assessment, asking questions, talking to people,” Cathryn continued.

“And then making recommendations for what we see, according to what the needs of the facility are, what their resources are, and what the research says is going to be most impactful. What changes will be the most impactful to improve the lives of the people working there and the people who live there, of course.”

An assessment was recently made at the Otero County Prison Facility, resulting in strategic, but minor changes including switching out fluorescent light bulbs to full-spectrum LEDs, bringing in plants to strengthen a connection to nature, improve air quality, and keeping thermostats on the cooler side. Click on the image below or here to see how MTC is working to make our environments even better.