Corrections Today articles from August 2007

Corrections Today archives from August 2007

Correction.(Correction notice)
August 1, 2007... The following article was inadvertently left off of the table of contents page of the June issue of Corrections Today: "Jim Heafner: A Career Devoted to Helping Youthful Offenders," by Michael Kelly, page 28. Corrections Today staff apologize...

Providing gender-responsive services for women and girls.(Guest Editorial)(Editorial)
August 1, 2007... This issue of Corrections Today focusing on female offenders is a part of the American Correctional Association's long-standing effort to improve programming and services for women and girls in the criminal justice system. Until recently, women...

Kasserian ingera.(Commentary)(women prisoners' lives)
August 1, 2007... There comes a time in each of our lives when some things seem impossible to recall--yet often with just a word, a particular memory can be called up with great detail. When thinking about my own history of working with women offenders I recall,...

Profile.(Actsoft Inc.)(Company overview)
August 1, 2007... Actsoft Inc., based in Tampa, Fla., is a developer of mobile management and wireless GPS location tracking software. Founded in 1996 as a custom programming firm, Actsoft has quickly grown into a full mobile management solutions software...

Manager brings success to correctional industries.(BEST IN THE BUSINESS)(Cheri Kraus)
August 1, 2007... Cheri Kraus has worked for the Kentucky state government for 17 years. Starting out as a data entry operator for the Cabinet for Human Resources, she worked her way up to her current position as operations manager for correctional industries at...

Corrections calendar.(Calendar)
August 1, 2007... * National Major Gang Task Force, Sept. 9-12, Reno, Nev. For more information, contact Ed Cohn at (317) 322-0537 or visit www.nmgtf.org. * Missouri Corrections Association, Sept. 19-21, Inn at the Resort Port Arrowhead, Lake Ozarks, Mo. For...

Resources and challenges: corrections and mental health collaborations.(Legislative Issues)
August 1, 2007... As corrections professionals are well aware, the largest U.S. jails and prisons hold more people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders than many inpatient psychiatric facilities, and virtually all correctional...

Training staff who supervise female offenders.(Professional Development Update)(American Correctional Association)
August 1, 2007... From the opening of the first women's correctional facility in Indiana in 1873 to the present, the vision of supervising female offenders has evolved. Yet, the goals of corrections have remained the same--deterrence, incapacitation,...

Offenders train retired race horses.(News Briefs)(Indiana Department of Correction's Thoroughbred Horse Retirement Program)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Indiana Department of Correction has initiated a Thoroughbred Horse Retirement Program that will eventually consist of 50 horses at the Putnamville Correctional Facility. The program was developed to provide humane rescue programs for...

Chicago Aids children of incarcerated parents.(News Briefs)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... In the Chicago area, community groups are stepping up to help the estimated 90,000 children with parents in prison or on parole, reported The Washington Post. Fifty to 70 percent of these children will end up behind bars, and they are less...

Florida revamps reentry efforts.(News Briefs)(Florida Department of Corrections)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Florida Department of Corrections has refocused its attention on providing substance abuse treatment and educational and vocational programs for offenders being released from incarceration, according to the Miami Herald. The DOC is working...

Ex-offenders earn college degrees.(News Briefs)(College and Community Fellowship in New York)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... This spring, 18 former prisoners earned associates, bachelor's and graduate degrees through a program run by the College and Community Fellowship, a nonprofit social services organization in New York City, reported The New York Times. The...

Attention nurses and nurse managers.(Correctional Health Perspectives)(certified corrections professionals)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The American Correctional Association's Correctional Certification Program is a national, voluntary program for individuals to gain recognition as professionally qualified corrections practitioners. The extensive skills and knowledge required...

Mental Health Coordinator.(Job Bank)(Greene County Justice Center)
August 1, 2007... Mental Health Corrdinator Greene County Justice Center Springfield, Mo. Pay Grade: 16 Reorts to: Director FLSA: E The purpose of this position is to assess, refer and arrange treatment services for jail inmates,...

Gender-responsive programs: addressing the needs of female offenders.(CT FEATURE)
August 1, 2007... While the prison population overall has grown during the past 15 years, the female offender population has skyrocketed. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the rate of incarceration for female offenders has grown faster than that of...

Identifying and treating mental illness: one jail system's story.(CT FEATURE)
August 1, 2007... Some day, modern medicine may allow the exact diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders with the same level of certainty that exists for physical maladies such as diabetes or cancer. Currently, however, there is a great deal of subjectivity...

Washington state's effort to reduce the generational impact on crime.(CT FEATURE)
August 1, 2007... Three facilities in Washington state focus on the reunification of mothers and their babies through residential infant bonding programs. Female offenders at the Eleanor Chase Work Release facility, Helen B. Ratcliff Work Release facility and...

Women who are victims of domestic violence: supervision strategies for community corrections professionals.(CT FEATURE)
August 1, 2007... In recent years, the field of community corrections has focused increased attention on the growing number of women entering the criminal justice system. The National Institute of Corrections, as well as organizations such as the American...

The prison rape Elimination Act: implications for women and girls.(CT FEATURE)(Case study)
August 1, 2007... "PREA is about sexual safety in correctional environments and this safety has a gendered meaning."--Barbara Owen. The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), in many ways, is now part of the corrections profession's vernacular. However, the...

From needles and thread to legislative mandates: New Hampshire addresses the needs of women in custody.(CT FEATURE)
August 1, 2007... Authors' Note: This article does not necessarily represent the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although a number of state correctional agencies do have or have had an administrator of female...

A new paradigm: stage-based change in work release programs for women.(CT FEATURE)(TJ Mahoney & Associates' Ka Hale Ho ala Hou No Na Wahine)(Report)
August 1, 2007... "That's me--every time I hit an obstacle, I make a mistake. I don't realize it until it's already done, and then I get the consequences. At the time I'm going through the consequences it feels like the end of the world. I cannot see...

The potential benefits of meditation in a correctional setting.(CT FEATURE)
August 1, 2007... Although there is much literature that supports the benefits of meditation for the general population, there is little research examining the benefits for an incarcerated population. Empirical evidence indicates that meditation has...

Developing correctional facilities for female juvenile offenders: design and programmatic considerations.(CT FEATURE)(Report)
August 1, 2007... Girls represent a challenge for the juvenile justice system. Their unique needs have to be considered in all aspects of facility design and operations. While much work has been done to explain what female-responsive programming looks like in a...

A woman-centered approach for female offenders in New Mexico.(CT FEATURE)(New Mexico Corrections Department )
August 1, 2007... New Mexico has been promoting a new attitude toward female offenders and, particularly during the past four years, has become more gender-responsive. It was not initially clear what the concept of "gender responsiveness" entailed, but when it...

Meeting the challenge: positive culture in women's facilities.(CT FEATURE)(Denver, Colorado's Women Correctional Facility)
August 1, 2007... Women's facilities offer many opportunities for correctional systems to change how offenders view the criminal justice system and their reaction to the environment. The institutional culture, which is based on safety and security, must be...

One hundred to one: odds are that female inmates are not so bad after all.(CT FEATURE)(Correctional Development Center-Female)
August 1, 2007... How many male inmates would a correctional officer rather supervise compared to female inmates? The answer often ranges between 50 and 100 males to one female, when corrections professionals are asked. For decades, female offenders have had the...

Public Correctional Policy on adult and juvenile female offender services.
August 1, 2007... Introduction: Correctional systems must practice gender responsiveness in the development of services and programs for adult and juvenile female offenders. Programs must be designed and implemented to meet the needs of this population. ...

2007 salute to fallen correctional officers.(National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.; Department of Corrections in Washington, D.C.)
August 1, 2007... The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., provided the setting for this year's wreath-laying ceremony, which inaugurated Correctional Officers/Employees Week, May 6-12, 2007. In addition to honoring slain correctional...

E.R. Cass Award: ACA's highest honor.(Edward R. Cass; American Correctional Association)
August 1, 2007... The E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award was created in 1962 in honor of Edward R. Cass, who devoted more than 50 years of his life to corrections. Serving as the American Correctional Association's general secretary for 40 consecutive...

Thank you, sponsors.
August 1, 2007... A Heartfelt Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors ARAMARK CANTEEN Correctional Services Abbott Virology CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA COMMUNITY EDUCATION CENTERS DEDICATED PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE Group 4...

Affiliate corner.(Membership News)(American Correctional Health Services Association)
August 1, 2007... The American Correctional Health Services Association (ACHSA) celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2006. ACHSA was organized in 1976 as a nonprofit professional health services association whose members are medical, substance abuse, mental health...

Welcome new members.(Membership News)
August 1, 2007... ORGANIZATIONAL FLORIDA -- Federal Bureau Prisons NEW HAMPSHIRE -- New Hampshire Division of Juvenile Justice Services SOUTH DAKOTA -- YouthBuild USA WASHINGTON -- Cedar Creek Corrections Center, Clark County Corrections ...

Parole boards are worth saving.(Probation and Parole Forum)
August 1, 2007... Can parole boards regain their place in the criminal justice system and are they worth saving? Sixteen states have abolished their boards of parole, leaving the boards with discretion over a diminishing group of inmates who were sentenced...

Heery International.(Private Sector News)(prison construction)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Heery International and Bell Corp. have been selected by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to design and build a new $230 million federal correctional institution to be located in Berlin, N.H. The medium-security institution will house...

Community Education Centers Inc.(Private Sector News)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Community Education Centers Inc. (CEC), a New Jersey-based provider of offender reentry services, has acquired CiviGenics, the largest provider of in-prison treatment programs. The combined company provides services such as residential and...

Maxor National Pharmacy Services Corp.(Private Sector News)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Maxor National Pharmacy Services Corp. has purchased certain assets of Secure Pharmacy Plus LLC from America Service Group Inc. Additionally, as a part of the transaction, Maxor will become the provider of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies...

Culture change ensures safety for staff and youths in Juvenile Corrections.(Juvenile Justice News)
August 1, 2007... Aseries of significant incidents involving youth safety occurred at the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) in 2002 and 2003, resulting in a year-long investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division under...

Children with incarcerated parents: everyone has a role.(NIC Update)
August 1, 2007... State and federal prisons held an estimated 721,500 parents of minor children in 1999. These parents held in U.S. prisons had an estimated 1.5 million minor children in 1999, an increase of more than 500,000 since 1991. (1) The above numbers do...

Obtaining federal benefits for disabled offenders: Part 3--the challenges and lessons learned.(NIJ Update)
August 1, 2007... Authors' Note: Findings and conclusions reported in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. departments of Justice or Health and Human Services. The previous two...

New classification instruments for female offenders.(Research Notes)
August 1, 2007... The National Institute of Corrections and the University of Cincinnati are now completing work on a joint project with four jurisdictions to develop and validate new risk/needs assessments specifically for female offenders. The work builds from...