Corrections Today articles from April 1 2009

Corrections Today archives from April 1 2009

Professional Development: taking responsibility for your own career.(Guest Editorial)(Essay)
April 1, 2009... In the August 2006 Corrections Today Professional Development Update column I asked the question, "What would happen if you lost 25 percent of your agency's leaders?" At that time, we were watching our baby boomer staff march out the front door...

Professional development: the key to retention.(Commentary)
April 1, 2009... Employee turnover within the field of corrections continues to be one of the major challenges faced by correctional administrators. One viable strategy for promoting staff retention is to maintain an ongoing culture of professional development...

Cities reconsider job application questions.(News Briefs)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... In recent years, cities have begun to eliminate job application questions that ask applicants whether they have been convicted of a crime, reported The Associated Press. These "ban the box" ordinances aim to help ex-offenders find work so they...

Talk of prison closures worry small towns.(News Briefs)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Across the country, declining state budgets have sparked conversations about closing prisons, reported The Washington Post. These conversations are especially contentious in smaller, rural towns, where prisons often make up a large part of the...

Louisiana tries program to cut recidivism.(News Briefs)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... With more than 50 percent of inmates back behind bars within five years of release, Louisiana has the second-highest per capita recidivism rate in the country. To remedy this, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc and sheriffs...

Troubled young Women visit female inmates.(News Briefs)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The Baltimore Sun reported on a program at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in Jessup that pairs at-risk teens with facility inmates. On a recent visit, 32 teens in mentoring programs sponsored by the Baltimore mayor's office sat...

Corrections calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2009... * Iowa Corrections Association, Spring Conference, May 19-21, Council Bluffs, Iowa. For more information, visit www.iowaica.com/. * Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association, 2009 Conference, June 7-10, Annapolis, Md. For more...

Journalism Awardee says thanks.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Today, my staff and I were presented the ACA's 2009 Outstanding Journalism Award (see full award coverage on page 70) by Chief of Operations Jeff Travis of the Louisiana Department of Corrections and Warden Bobby Tanner of the B.B. "Sixty"...

The role of religious services in the Oregon Accountability Model.(A View From the Line)
April 1, 2009... There is a growing realization in the medical, psychological and criminal justice fields that we are more likely to achieve lasting results by providing a combination of programs or treatments rather than by depending on one cutting-edge theory...

Respectable leadership and the future of corrections.(Speak Out)(Essay)
April 1, 2009... I was in a subordinate capacity as a first-line supervisor to a quiet, older gentleman who had worked in corrections for many years. Shortly after my assignment to his unit, I was faced with a personal situation resulting in me having to...

Is your agency ready to come aboard the certification train?(Professional Development Update)
April 1, 2009... The certification train is running full speed ahead. Are you and your staff on board? State and county departments of correction and private corrections companies have supported ACA's certification program in various ways throughout this past...

The spotlight shines on a certified manager.(Certification Spotlight)
April 1, 2009... In search of a flexible way to earn elective credits for college that would tie into her career goals, Lisa Cecil came across an article on ACA's certification program in Corrections Today. After learning that the program would enable her to...

Developing a shared work force: the U.S. Army Reserve Employer Partnership Initiative.(Work Force Update)
April 1, 2009... The U.S. Army Reserve is teaming up with the correctional and law enforcement industries to enhance job opportunities for soldiers and veterans in an effort to reinforce America's competitiveness in the global economy. Launched in April 2008,...

The tuberculosis case: improving communication between public health and corrections.(Correctional Health Perspectives)
April 1, 2009... Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne disease that does not need permission to infect someone. This disease is especially challenging in jails and prisons because of recirculated air and crowded cells, which are two risk factors for TB infections....

New Health care journal call for submissions.
April 1, 2009... Correctional Health Today (CHT), the interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal of ACA's Healthcare Professional Interest Section, is seeking quality submissions for upcoming issues. CHT will include articles on a range of correctional health...

Warden peer interaction develops new vision in correctional leadership.(CT FEATURE)
April 1, 2009... During a six-year period, from 1987 to 1993, 23 heart surgeons in New England participated in a study to determine whether an organized program of information-sharing, training in improved techniques, and site visits to other medical centers...

Fostering professional growth in corrections.(CT FEATURE)
April 1, 2009... Elaine sits in a room surrounded by 23 other employees waiting to take a promotional test. She recognizes many of them as having been with the agency for several years. Elaine is a youth correctional officer I, as are the others in the room,...

Structured on-the-job training addresses turnover in Ohio.(CT FEATURE)
April 1, 2009... Turnover in the field of corrections has unfortunately become an all too common occurrence. Agencies put a tremendous amount of effort into recruiting, assessing and hiring staff, only to later have them decide to terminate their employment. So...

Why corrections should clear the hurdles.(CT FEATURE)
April 1, 2009... E-learning, or distance education, has been around for many; years; are correctional administrators and their employees taking advantage of the opportunities? With the rapid emergence of new teaching technologies, correctional trainers and...

Building a Bridge to the Future with leadership training.(CT FEATURE)
April 1, 2009... Building a Bridge to the Future leadership training is based on the management principle that leader-ship is exemplified through the "tone at the top." True leadership works its way through executive offices, sparks divisional managers and...

Investing in employees through tuition reimbursement.(CT FEATURE)
April 1, 2009... Employee training and education is a critical part of the development of a successful employee. The Kentucky Department of Corrections strives to play an active role in the professional development of its employees by assisting with their...

ACA's Correctional Certification Program is what professionals do.(CT FEATURE)
April 1, 2009... There are many buzzwords currently used in corrections, such as diversity, proactive solutions and reentry, to name a few. However, the most important among these words is probably professionalism. Professionalism is not a new concept, nor is...

Samberg program improves leadership and addresses turnover.(CT FEATURE)(Corrections Corporation of America's program )
April 1, 2009... Why? This is a great question to begin with, whether talking in terms of a training program, developing a policy or just directing staff to perform a task. It is known that staff perform their duties more thoroughly and competently if they have...

Correctional safety: it doesn't happen by accident.(CT FEATURE)
April 1, 2009... Perhaps no facet of correctional administration has experienced more change in the past 20 years than safety operations in correctional facilities--and the trend is expected to accelerate. This growth in scope of safety operations and the...

Corrections professionals enjoy sunny Florida.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2009... ACA's 2009 Winter Conference in Kissimmee, Fla., gave thousands of corrections professionals a chance to network with colleagues and friends. More than 100 workshops and sessions were offered relating to the theme "Forward Thinking and...

Donna Brazile fires up General Session I.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2009... During the General Session I keynote address, Donna Brazile inspired attendees with ruminations on her background in politics and what she hopes our country will accomplish during Barack Obama's presidency. Brazile, an author, educator and...

Offender turned star Chef charms lunchgoers.(2009 Winter conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(Jeff Henderson)(Conference news)
April 1, 2009... "Prison was a blessing in disguise," Chef Jeff Henderson told General Session II attendees at the Tuesday luncheon. It was the first time Henderson was told that he had potential--aside from the drug dealers who picked up on his potential to...

ACA honors awardees.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(American Correctional Association)
April 1, 2009... At the General Session I, several ACA awards were given including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Award, which was presented to Victoria A. Faux, a student and volunteer with Parents Anonymous of New Jersey. Through her volunteer work,...

2009 Winter Conference Jan. 9-14, 2009.
April 1, 2009... Many thanks to the co-chairs and host committee members for a great Winter Conference! ACA appreciates their dedication and commitment. Their efforts made the Winter Conference a big success. Gerald Abdul-Wasi Region III Director,...

Meeting brings Health care policies and training to the table.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(Coalition for Correctional Health Authorities )(Conference notes)
April 1, 2009... The Coalition for Correctional Health Authorities (CCHA) met on Friday, Jan. 9, to finalize the agenda for the New Health Authority Training program scheduled to take place in June. Co-Chairpersons Lannette Linthicum, M.D., Texas Department of...

Health care Professionals meet and mingle.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... ACA and Correct Rx Pharmacy Services warmly welcomed Healthcare Professional Interest Section (H-PIS) members and the ACA leadership to Kissimmee, Fla. with a wonderful reception. Health care Professionals and their colleagues from across the...

Judge Steven Leifman advocates for the mentally Jee.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(mentally ill offenders )
April 1, 2009... "When I became a judge I had no idea that I was becoming a gatekeeper to the largest psychiatric facility in the state of Florida--the Miami-Dade Jail," said Miami-Dade County Judge Steven Leifman, keynote speaker at the H-PIS Special Session...

Attendees crowded the exhibit hall in Kissimmee.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2009... With a large attendance on hand for the Winter Conference, representatives from the hundreds of exhibiting companies in the hall were kept busy meeting and greeting ACA members and conference attendees. The companies and organizations in the...

Congratulations Grand Prize winners.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)
April 1, 2009... The exhibit hall was energized with expectation for the Grand Prize Giveaway on Tuesday afternoon. When the names were drawn, Robert Jones, medical director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, was sent home with a 52-inch HDTV and home...

New exhibitors--thanks for joining us in Kissimmee.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... ACA welcomed the following new exhibitors in Kissimmee. Thanks for participating in the Winter Conference. Albeo Technologies, Inc. North American Information Technology Atlanta Fixture...

Policies and resolutions.(2009 Winter Conference Jan 9-14, 2009)(Conference notes)
April 1, 2009... Editor's Note: The existing policies and resolutions printed below were reviewed, amended and approved for continuation by the Delegate Assembly at the Winter Conference in Kissimmee, Fla. Public Correctional Policy on Correctional Industry...

ACA awards recognize exceptional commitment.(Rewarding Excellence)(American Correctional Association)(Awards list)
April 1, 2009... Each year at the American Correctional Association's Winter Conference, distinguished awards are presented to honor exemplary leadership and service and recognize corrections' stars. The Exemplary Offender Program Award is presented to a...

Maryland corrections chapter takes the plunge.(Chapter Spotlight)(Maryland Criminal Justice Association and Maryland State Police raise funds for special olympics)
April 1, 2009... The Maryland ACA affiliate, the Maryland Criminal Justice Association (MCJA), was recruited by the Maryland State Police to raise money for the Special Olympics by participating in the 2009 Plungapalooza, also called the Polar Bear Plunge. The...

Welcome new members.
April 1, 2009... Organizational LOUISIANA--Leesville City Jail NEW MEXICO--San Juan County DWI Facility PENNSYLVANIA--Crispus Attucks Association Supporting Patron ALABAMA--DRC Logistics Inc. MARYLAND--Avon Protection Systems ...

Recently accredited facilities.(Accreditation Byline)(Directory)
April 1, 2009... The following facilities and programs received accreditation at the ACA Winter Conference in Kissimmee, Fla. Congratulations to the staff of these facilitates and agencies on attaining this level of operation through hard work and dedication to...

Bookshelf.(Effective Teaching in Correctional Settings)(Book review)
April 1, 2009... This enthusiastic and encouraging text, Effective Teaching in Correctional Settings, by father-son team, Robert G. Thomas, psychologist, and R. Murray Thomas, correctional educator, is valuable for both practicing and prospective correctional...

The fundamental 'what works' principle: responsivity.(Research Notes)
April 1, 2009... Whoever acquires knowledge and does not practice it resembles him who ploughs his land and leaves it unsown. Sa'di, from Gulistan This issue of Corrections Today may trigger reflections on your professional development goals. All...

Bluegrass ChalleNGe success continues in Kentucky.(Juvenile Justice News)(military training for youth)
April 1, 2009... The U.S. is facing a growing epidemic of high school dropouts; more than 30 percent of youths--one million per year--fail to get a high school diploma.(1) Each year nearly 17,200 students in Kentucky do not graduate with their peers. Dropouts...

NIC offers programs for women correctional executives.(NIC update)
April 1, 2009... When the National Institute of Corrections began its Executive Leadership for Women program in 1994, few women were reaching top positions in the corrections field. Women entered the supervisory ranks in slow progression, in small numbers,...