On March 27, following several weeks of advocacy by APA Services, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) received an exemption by the Department of Justice (DOJ) from the federal hiring freeze, allowing them to fill their doctoral psychology intern and postdoctoral fellow positions through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers’ (APPIC) Post-Match Vacancy Serviceopens in new window, which runs until the end of September.
This major win resulted from a collaborative effort between APA Services and APA members in Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Serviceopens in new window) as well as select experts with deep experience working as psychologists in the correctional system. Together, they drafted letters to the attorney general (PDF, 207KB)opens in new window and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (PDF, 268KB)opens in new window, making a clear argument as to why these training programs were critical to both the behavioral health workforce as well as the safety of law enforcement and the public. Following this, APA Services spent several weeks working with DOJ staff to secure this exemption as quickly as possible.
Without the exemption, the federal hiring freeze instituted by the White House on Inauguration Day would have substantial impacts on the training of the psychology workforce, as several federal agencies serve as training sites for doctoral psychology interns and postdocs. This includes not only BOP but also training programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where APA Services worked quickly to secure an exemption in January, allowing them to participate in phase I of APPIC’s national match.
For more information, contact Kenneth Polishchuk.