Corrections Today articles from June 1999

Corrections Today archives from June 1999

Knowledge of the juvenile justice system: how much does the public know?(survey by the American Bar Assn.)
June 1, 1999... A recent survey by the American Bar Association provides some interesting insights into the public's view of the American justice system. While a survey represents little more than a snapshot of a particular issue at a particular time, the...

Probation in England for the 21st century.
June 1, 1999... Probation is being reinvented for the next century. In Australia and New Zealand, efforts aimed at reclaiming probation have begun. In Ontario, Canada, a major restructuring of correctional services has occurred. In the United States, the...

Untangling the helix: law enforcement and DNA.
June 1, 1999... DNA evidence is one of the most powerful crime-fighting tools since the advent of latent fingerprint technologies. It has the ability to convict the guilty and free the innocent. The exoneration of 28 individuals whose cases are detailed in the...

Philadelphia's 'adopt-a-school' partnership to prevent delinquency.
June 1, 1999... If students cannot read well by the end of third grade, their chances for later scholastic success are greatly diminished - Including a greater likelihood of delinquent behavior and dropping out of school. Dropping out of high school manifests...

Accreditation brings surprises.(American Correctional Assn.'s accreditation of New York juvenile facilities)
June 1, 1999... In the summer of 1989, the New York State Division for Youth made the commitment to pursue American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation for all 52 of its facilities. Three juvenile facilities had already been accredited through the...

Teaching dogs new tricks.(Best in the Business)(narcotics detection dog handler Steven Buzzard)
June 1, 1999... Steven Buzzard joined the West Virginia Division of Corrections as a correctional officer in 1993 after 20 years of service in the U.S. Army. "I've always enjoyed law enforcement and ended up just falling into corrections," he says. During his...

An innovative leader.(Best in the Business)(Louisiana State Penitentiary warden Burl Cain)
June 1, 1999... The key to my success as a warden is three-fold," says Burl Cain, warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP). "I don't lie; I don't tell someone I'll do something if I can't do it; and I try to say 'yes' more than I say 'no.'" Cain...

No-nonsense nun dedicates decades to corrections.(Best in the Business)(Margaret Graziano)
June 1, 1999... Who says an 82-year-old woman can't do whatever she wants? No one who knows Sister Margaret Graziano, that's for sure. She recently rode an elephant in India and soared in an ultralight plane over Victoria Falls in Africa. "I'm always looking...

Setting standards.(Best in the Business)(Kansas Dept. of Corrections official John Hurla)
June 1, 1999... "I think accreditation is one of the best things that's happened to the correctional system," says John Hurla, director of policy, procedures and accreditation for the Kansas Department of Corrections (DOC). He should know; he has 30 years of...

Correctional officer saves four lives in one day.(Best in the Business)(Kevin Huxoll)
June 1, 1999... On Monday, Aug. 31, 1998, Washington State Penitentiary inmate Anthony DeFroe died four times as a result of a conflict with another inmate. Correctional officer Kevin Huxoll is the reason DeFroe is still alive today. At approximately 9:20...

Hawaii gets a sea change.(Best in the Business)(Fred Hyun of the Oahu Intake Service Center)
June 1, 1999... It is a recurring problem: Offenders with mental health problems often go undiagnosed or unrecognized. Hawaii's Fred Hyun, who currently heads the Oahu Intake Service Center, thought there was a better way to handle these inmates. "Let's get...

The evaluator.(Best in the Business)(forensic psychiatrist Sally C. Johnson)
June 1, 1999... Not only does Dr. Sally C. Johnson, associate warden of health services at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Burner in North Carolina, manage health care delivery to more than 1,100 male offenders, her realm of responsibility includes...

Making a place of change.(Best in the Business)(Bath Institution assistant warden and manager of correctional programs Keir MacMillan)
June 1, 1999... In the letter nominating Keir MacMillan, assistant warden and manager of correctional programs at Bath Institution in Ontario, Canada, as one of the best in the business on behalf of the Correctional Service Canada (CSC), it is written, "Mr....

Making education interesting.(Best in the Business)(Colorado Dept. of Corrections teacher Elizabeth Nichols)
June 1, 1999... As lead teacher at Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Canon City, Colo., Elizabeth Nichols knows the difference education can make in the lives of inmates. She has been an employee of the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) for...

Offering "OPTIONS" to addicted inmates.(Best in the Business)(Philadelphia Prison System's Opportunities for Prevention and Treatment Interventions for Offenders Needing Support program director Deborah Raddock)
June 1, 1999... Having grown up in Hell's Kitchen, N.Y., nothing could phase Deborah Raddock, director of the Philadelphia Prison System's Opportunities for Prevention and Treatment Interventions for Offenders Needing Support (OPTIONS) program. Since it began,...

Communication is paramount.(Best in the Business)(New York, NY, Dept. of Juvenile Justice director of public affairs Sarina Roffe)
June 1, 1999... As director of public affairs for the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), Sarina Roffe oversees media relations, the volunteer program and a multitude of other projects. Aside from her regular job responsibilities, Roffe assumed...

Combating employee drug abuse.(Best in the Business)(District of Columbia Dept. of Corrections drug program coordinator Delores H. Thomas)
June 1, 1999... When it comes to conquering employee drug and alcohol abuse. Delores H. Thomas of the District of Columbia Department of Corrections (DCDC), wrote the book. As drug program coordinator of DCDC's Mandatory Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing...

Staff equality: a welcomed addition to the correctional workplace.
June 1, 1999... Editor's Note: This article will appear in the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents' publication, A View From the Trenches: A Manual for Wardens by Wardens, to be published this summer by the American Correctional...

Intolerance in prison: a recipe for disaster.(Ohio Dept of Rehabilitation and Correction)
June 1, 1999... Take a prison with inmates of many cultures, ethnic backgrounds and a basic tendency toward xenophobia; add a pinch of politically driven tightening of privileges; fold in a large dollop of life long lessons in mistrust and hatred; cook at 170...

A taste for tolerance fuels prison culture.(Ohio's Marion Correctional Institution)
June 1, 1999... Managing more than 2,000 inmates from diverse cultural backgrounds presents unique challenges, which also can be looked at as unique opportunities. While in prison, inmates cannot decide in which neighborhood they will live. They find...

The importance of becoming an active member.
June 1, 1999... Participating in association-related events or activities is only one of the many ways for you to become involved in your association. As an association member, you represent yourself, your profession and your colleagues. Being an active...

NIC: helping to integrate inmates back into the community.(National Institute of Corrections)
June 1, 1999... The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) has long encouraged continuity in supervision, care and treatment of and intervention for, offenders moving from state correctional institutions back into the community. This encouragement has been in...