National Correctional Industries Association

Annual conference: the Association holds annual and regional conferences for its members. The conferences provide education and training for its members.

Publications: the Association publishes a newsletter on a quarterly basis. The newsletter disseminates information on the Association's activities, messages from the board of directors, and a schedule of events to its members. An annual membership directory is printed for approximately 220 members. The Association also publishes an online 'e-brief' newsletter with announcements from the field, similar to the quarterly magazine. It also maintains a website to disseminate information on the Association's activities.

Training and compliance programs: prison industry enhancement (pie) certification program - the pie certification program exempts certified state and local departments of correction and other eligible entities from normal restrictions on the sale of prisoner-made goods in interstate commerce. The pie certification program was created by congress in 1979 to encourage states and units of local government to establish employment opportunities for prisoners that approximate private-sector work opportunities. In order to become certified, each program must demonstrate to the director of the bureau of justice assistance (bja), u.s. department of justice, that it meets certain statutory and guideline requirements.on april 1, 2021, bja changed its grant to a federal contract. This federal award was provided by the united states department of justice - bja to the Association to assess program participants for compliance with program requirements; compile and publish historical statistical reports on a quarterly basis; review new pie certification program applications and designations; and provide onsite and telephone technical assistance to programs that are seeking information or are not in compliance.training webinars - this is a production of educational webinars on field-related topics for the Association's members.e-learning - the Association's e-learning program is an online professional development platform tailored to the needs of Correctional Industries (ci) professionals. Developed by subject matter experts in the field of ci, the Association's online courses are an educational tool to help our members strengthen their skills, learn new ones, and discover new ways of thinking about ci.