Corrections Today articles from August 2008

Corrections Today archives from August 2008

Don't be fooled.(Editorial)
August 1, 2008... Difficult economic times during the first half of 2008 may have caused a decline in state and local revenue that resulted in some local, state and private correctional agencies freezing positions and reducing their budgets and work forces. The...

Face the facts: we need to focus on recruitment.
August 1, 2008... It is becoming increasingly more difficult to recruit, train and retain a correctional work force. As baby boomers retire from the work force, organizations are losing key people in critical positions. This is one of the greatest challenges...

Profile.(Unelko Corp.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... For more than 30 years, Unelko has been a leading manufacturer of water repellents, surface treatments and protective coatings for the preservation, enhancement and preventive cleaning of surfaces in homes, vehicles and public buildings. Two of...

Texas jails set up e-mail program.(Travis and Hays county jails )(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... A new program at the Travis and Hays county jails allows friends and family to send e-mails to inmates, reported the Austin American-Statesman. Jail officials print out the e-mails and pass them along to inmates. Senders have the option of...

City initiative entices employers.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Associated Press reported that Philadelphia will now offer tax breaks to companies that hire ex-offenders. On Mayor Michael Nutter's 100th day in office, he announced the program, which will give $10,000 per year in municipal tax credits to...

Indiana is 6th state to allow prison nursery.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis began a program in April that allows newborns to live in cells with their incarcerated mothers for up to 18 months, reported The Associated Press. The program, funded through a $122,000 grant from the...

Law allows blended adult/juvenile sentences.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Gov. John Baldacci signed into law a bill that applies to the way juveniles are tried and sentenced in Maine, the Sun Journal reported. The new law permits judges to split prison time for young offenders charged as adults between juvenile and...

Iowa bill calls for minority impact analysis.(News Briefs)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... A bill signed in April by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver requires state officials to consider the impact of all criminal sentencing and state grant programs on Iowa minorities. The Des Moines Register reported that blacks in Iowa make up just 2 percent...

Corrections Calendar.(Calendar)
August 1, 2008... * Florida Council on Crime and Delinquency, 79th Annual Criminal Justice Training Institute, Aug. 25-27, St. Augustine, Fla. For more information, visit www.fccdweb.org. * American Correctional Association, Correctional Leadership Training...

A passion for justice leads to an impassioned career.(Angi Lee)
August 1, 2008... A budding interest in justice can be traced back to Angi Lee's childhood. Her mother worked in corporate law and served as a court appointed special advocate (CASA) while Lee was growing up. CASA volunteers work one case at a time, ensuring...

Correctional advisors recognized for their work in Haiti.(Jacques Serge, Robinson Cadet and Lionel Simpson )(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... On April 29, three U.S. correctional advisors were awarded the U.N. Medal of Peace for their work with the Haitian Prison Authority. The advisors have been working in Haiti for one year under a U.N. resolution that established a stabilization...

ACA's professionals train and certify the correctional work force.(American Correctional Association)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Conference Workshops "Best programs ever"; "Something for everyone"; "Consistent and high quality." These are a few of the comments ACA received as feedback on workshops presented at winter and summer conferences. More than 100 workshops...

Work Force Project makes strides.
August 1, 2008... The American Correctional Association's Work Force Project began in 2002 with the vision of incoming President Charles J. Kehoe. An advisory committee was formed to discuss the impending work force crisis--not enough workers to fill future...

Correctional officers become end of life caretakers: Winnebago County Jail partners with local hospice to provide care to terminally ill inmate.
August 1, 2008... Kathy Baxter, RN, director of patient services for Hospice Care of America--a hospice agency founded in Rockford, Ill., in 2004-was a bit surprised to receive a call in February 2008 from Capt. Timothy Owens of the Winnebago County Jail in...

Recently accredited facilities.(Accreditation Byline)(Directory)
August 1, 2008... The following facilities and programs received accreditation on May 17 and 18 the Westin Hotel in Alexandria, Va. Congratulations to the staff of the se facilities and agencies on attaining this level of operation through hard work and...

The first R in the five Rs of corrections employment.
August 1, 2008... Growing up, we were constantly bombarded with the "three Rs"-reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic. Now, as an administrator in the corrections management business tasked with staffing America's jails and prisons, I find myself face to face with the...

I really don't want to share, but I need to.(Essay)
August 1, 2008... Hi, I'm Dan, and I'm an ISTJ. Geez, just writing the opening sentence makes me feel like I am at a support meeting... not that I have ever been to one, mind you. OK, now I suppose I've offended someone with that comment. I'm told that I...

Oklahoma's Quality Assurance experience: Continuous improvement through employee empowerment, teamwork, diversity and best practices.
August 1, 2008... Today's correctional agencies are faced with many challenges--prison overcrowding, staffing shortages and an ever-increasing demand to operate cheaper, better and faster. Correctional agencies must find ways to operate more efficiently and...

The feminization of the community corrections work force.
August 1, 2008... Challenges abound for correctional organizations. Ever-increasing numbers of inmates and offenders under community supervision focus attention on issues of reentry and successful re-integration. Evidence-based practices are being emphasized for...

Recruiting and retaining staff through culture change.
August 1, 2008... Changing the culture of a correctional organization may be the toughest task an agency head will ever take on. (1) The culture in a department or facility is formed over years, if not decades, of interaction among organization participants. At...

Work force improvement: developing staff through professional certification.
August 1, 2008... How many times have corrections professionals asked themselves or their coworkers, "Where are the future correctional leaders and managers coming from?" The Alabama Department of Youth Services (DYS) realized that tomorrow's agency leaders were...

Correctional predoctoral psychology internships creating a uniquely qualified mental health work force.
August 1, 2008... By converging legal mandates, research findings and humanitarian concerns, a continuing need for correctional mental health services is clearly identified. Every day, psychologists practicing in jails and prisons are meeting these needs and...

One Juvenile facility's answer to retention: training and mentoring.
August 1, 2008... A major correctional work force issue facing current administrators is retention. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has projected a 14 percent to 20 percent faster-than-average increase in U.S. correctional positions between 2006 and 2016--a...

Missouri's Eastern District finds Success with work force initiative.(CT FEATURE)
August 1, 2008... In an interview with News Channel 5 in St. Louis, Chief Douglas W. Burris of the Eastern District of Missouri U.S. Probation Office said, "Showing the carrot is more effective than the stick. " These few words go a long way in summarizing the...

Leading into tomorrow: developing leaders for the challenges ahead.
August 1, 2008... Preparing the leaders of tomorrow is one of the most important jobs for the leaders of today. The Minnesota Department of Corrections (MNDOC), like many other organizations, will be experiencing significant turnover as baby boomers retire. In...

A national survey of older prisoner health, mental health and programming.
August 1, 2008... There is a financial crisis growing in U.S. corrections that will compound the already strained budgetary climate. The percentage of older prisoners is increasing daily. After nearly three decades of truth-in-sentencing, mandatory sentences and...

Developing state prison policies to respond to sexual violence.
August 1, 2008... Prior to the enactment of the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003, there was little national information about the extent of sexual violence occurring in state prisons, or what was being done about it. In 2004, the Urban...

Rethinking the reentry process: the human resource recovery system.
August 1, 2008... During the past 25 years, the nation has encountered unprecedented growth in every aspect of the criminal justice system. Violent crime rates have been significantly lowered throughout the country, yet the incarceration rate continues to...

ACA president leads 2008 annual tribute to fallen officers.(American Correctional Association's Gary L. Maynard )
August 1, 2008... American Correctional Association President Gary L. Maynard kicked off Correctional Officers/Employees Week in Washington, D.C., on May 3 with this year's annual tribute to fallen correctional officers. Maynard, whose term as ACA president ends...

ACA's highest honor.(E.R. Cass Award)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... 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...

A Window to Our Future Capital Campaign.
August 1, 2008... Through the support of our members, the American Correctional Association was able to purchase a national headquarters building in 2006. Located in historic Old Town Alexandria, Va., close to our nation's capital, our offices are always open to...

Welcome New Members.(List)
August 1, 2008... ORGANIZATIONAL FLORIDA--Victory Forge Military Academy VIRGINIA--Naval Brig Norfolk SUPPORTING PATRON. GEORGIA--Joel Lowery PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATE. ILLINOIS--National Association of Correctional Record Administrators...

Attention new ACA members.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Thank you for joining corrections best! We welcome you as a new member to our organization. You are important to us, and we want to help you in any way possible. Do you have a question about ACA or even a question about your career or the...

Desktop Guide to Reentry for Juvenile Confinement Facilities.(Book review)
August 1, 2008... Desktop Guide to Reentry for Juvenile Confinement Facilities, edited by Carol Rapp Zimmermann, Gina Hendrix, James Moeser and David Roush, Alexandria, Va., American Correctional Association, 2007, 143 pp. The preface to the Desktop Guide to...

ACA provides an array of services to juvenile justice professionals.
August 1, 2008... ACA's Winter Conference in Grapevine, Texas, was the site of an exciting Juvenile Corrections Committee meeting, with ACA Executive Director James Gondles in attendance as well as Past President Chuck Kehoe. The chair of the committee, Diane...

The correctional work force faces challenges in the 21st century.
August 1, 2008... The U.S. work force is becoming increasingly more diverse in terms of race and gender. In addition, a very large proportion of the work force, specifically the baby boomers, are approaching retirement. Both of these trends present significant...

Unintended consequences of sex offender residency laws: can GIS mapping help?
August 1, 2008... Laws that limit where registered sex offenders may live have become increasingly popular during the past decade. By 2007, 27 states and hundreds of municipalities had passed laws that prohibited sex offenders from living near schools, parks,...

Protect officers with evidence-based safety practices.
August 1, 2008... As studies and implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) spread across the nation in regard to supervision policies, little is being documented on evidence-based safety practices to keep probation and parole officers safe while...

Offender employment is the key.
August 1, 2008... Many offender work force development professionals have long recognized the need to focus attention and resources on helping offenders sustain long-term employment. Therefore, overcoming barriers to long-term employment warrants the development...

Private sector news.(TriActive Inc.)
August 1, 2008... * TriActive Amercia, a manufacturer of outdoor exercise equipment, recently unveiled a new Web site that features: * An interactive map of TriActive fitness locations nationwide; * Contact information for TriActive's network of sales...