Corrections Today articles from October 2001

Corrections Today archives from October 2001

Public Safety in Action.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Each and every day, millions of people get in their cars and drive -- to work, school, the shopping mall or anywhere else they want to go. Millions of people also board airplanes, for business or pleasure, and fly from one destination to...

Staff Safety and Wellness -- An Evolving Commitment.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... A former corrections commissioner from Connecticut once observed, "When the health, safety and welfare of inmates are preserved, when their lifestyles of criminality are altered, chances are the correctional workers most responsible are......

Michigan Inmates Rescue Female CO.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... According to corrections.com, a female correctional officer at Michigan's Thumb Correctional Facility recently attacked by an inmate received some unusual help -- from other inmates, reports the Flint Journal. The officer was jumped by an...

DNA Evidence Changes Identification Methods.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... This month, New Jersey will become the first state with guidelines strongly recommending that police use the sequential method rather than displaying an array of photos of suspects, according to APBnews.com. Studies have shown that the new...

Death Penalty Standards Proposed.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Committee to Prevent Wrongful Executions released a report that calls for raising and enforcing standards for defense lawyers, preserving and testing DNA after conviction, allowing juries to impose life sentences without parole, and banning...

Federal Grants for DNA Tests.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... For the first time, the U.S. Justice Department will be offering $500,000 in federal grants for inmate DNA tests, reports USA Today. The program, which has been approved by the National Institute of Justice, could pay for approximately 250...

Variety Is the Spice of Life for This Captain.(Darlene Percival)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Throughout her 26 years in corrections, Capt. Darlene Percival has enjoyed both a diverse and rewarding career. She has experienced corrections from various angles, working as a correctional counselor, chemical dependency counselor, supervisor,...

ICA Reaches Out to Corrections Professionals and the Public.(Illinois Correctional Association )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Since its inception in 1979, the Illinois Correctional Association (ICA) has provided networking and professional development opportunities to corrections, probation, court and social service staff across the state. At the same time, it has...

Correction.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
October 1, 2001... Please note the following correction from the August Corrections Today Chapter/Affiliate Spotlight. "Chaplains are vital to successful religious programming and more important, they have been professionally trained and will protect offenders'...

Monitoring Dangerous Offenders In England and Wales.
October 1, 2001... Finding effective programs for dangerous offenders, including violent offenders, sex offenders and those with mental disorders, was the subject of a seminar at the National Probation Service conference in London, July 4-5. The seminar was...

Corrections Turns Over a New LEAF: Correctional Agencies Receive Assistance From the Law Enforcement Analysis Facility.
October 1, 2001... Video surveillance and audio monitoring can be a difficult process. Many times, tapes are too fuzzy or inaudible to use and are thrown away. Due to this growing problem, correctional agencies have been turning to the Law Enforcement Analysis...

Nationwide Nursing Shortage: Is it Causing Stress Within Correctional Facilities?(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... We are at the beginning of the worst nursing shortage in history, according to Cheryl Peterson, MSN, R.N., in the January issue of the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing article, "Nursing Shortage: Not a Simple Problem -- No Easy Answers."...

Profile.(Science Dynamics Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., Science Dynamics Corp. (SciDyn) is a leading developer of telecommunications solutions with More than 25 years of experience. Established in 1973, SciDyn provides cost-effective, easy-to-use solutions that...

Commission Salutes Corrections' Finest.(Commission on Accreditation for Corrections)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Each year, the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections (CAC) presents its highest honors -- the Walter E. Dunbar, the Chairman's and the Commitment to Excellence awards -- to corrections professionals who have demonstrated commitment and...

Mental Health Concerns of Adjudicated Youths.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... Juvenile crime has been declining since 1995. However, considering that the juvenile violent crime arrest rate increased more than 60 percent between 1988 and 1994, and that it only decreased 23 percent between 1994 and 1997, the violent crime...

131ST CONGRESS OF CORRECTION RECAP.
October 1, 2001... 131st Congress Overview Reflecting on our Principles More than 5,100 corrections professionals nationwide gathered in the "City of Brotherly Love" to discuss "Our Principles: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" at the 131st Congress of...

CORRECTIONAL EMPLOYEE Stress & Strain.
October 1, 2001... Stress and strain are critical yet often ignored safety factors for everyone. Work-related stress has been the object of considerable research during the last 20 years. Stress has been described as a "perception of imbalance between resources...

BECOMING A Safer Jail: Measurable Indicators.
October 1, 2001... Measuring performance in a jail is a novel idea. However, relating what performance is and how it can be quantified to validate officer safety and wellness is a challenge. Rather than discuss the latest in less-lethal technologies or personal...

Focusing on Correctional Staff Safety.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The personal safety and wellness of corrections' most precious resource -- staff -- have never before been more important to correctional managers. The idea of safety in the workplace is not new, but when applied to adult correctional...

Critical Incident Strees Management Program: Responding to the Needs of Correctional Staff in Pennsylvania.
October 1, 2001... Correctional employees constantly are exposed to an environment that is patently stressful, providing care, custody and control for a population that is held unwillingly, unhappily and often, uncooperatively. Prisons are a growth industry in...

The EMOTIONS HIDDEN Behind A Badge.
October 1, 2001... When I became Davidson County sheriff in 1994, I did not have any real correctional experience. As a mother and former educator, I felt as though my experience dealing with emotions was fairly extensive. I soon learned that I did not know...

6 Elements That Form a Context for Staff Safety.
October 1, 2001... One of the important elements of maintaining an effective correctional organization is to address key staff concerns. Throughout my 25year career in juvenile corrections, one of the issues that has consistently concerned staff, particularly...

Examining The Health Risks for Corrections Professionals.
October 1, 2001... The daily on-the-job dangers correctional officers face often can be avoided with physical protection, security precautions and equipment, and an understanding of the policies that limit the availability of potential weapons. Although avoiding...

Health and Wellness Programs Made Available to Maryland Correctional Employees.
October 1, 2001... The stress and physical risks experienced by correctional employees are a concern shared by many people associated with the corrections field. Family members, co-workers, friends and supervisors can be directly affected by an employee's...

The Correctional Officer: One of Law Enforcement's TOUGHEST Positions.(Addressing Correctional Officer Stress: Programs and Strategies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Editor's Note: The following article is based largely on in formation contained in Addressing Correctional Officer Stress: Program and Strategies, from the National Institute of Justice and Corrections Program Office by Peter Finn. ...

Ensuring Best Will Join the Best.(correctional personnel)
October 1, 2001... Correctional administrators across the nation fully understand that the success of their respective agencies depends on their frontline personnel. Ensuring staff safety, and ultimately public safety, is a result of training and education in...

Special Service Unit: Dedicated to Investigating and Apprehending Violent Offenders.
October 1, 2001... The California Department of Corrections (CDC) established the Special Service Unit, an essential part of the department's violence control program, in 1964. Commonly referred to as SSU, it has been described as a police unit within a...

High Profile INMATES.(protecting high profile inmates)
October 1, 2001... A Security Concern for Texas Prisons The Texas prison system's overriding concern handing-profile inmates can be summed up by Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame theory. That concern is further exemplified by Jack Ruby's jailhouse slaying of...

Identifying Documenting and Managing Florida's High-Profile Inmates.
October 1, 2001... Despite correctional agencies' best efforts, high-profile inmates can bring negative publicity and a distorted image of agencies when cases "go bad," such as when an inmate kills or injures someone and the media quickly publicizes it. Media...

Thomas A. Coughlin III, 1938-2001.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Thomas A. Coughlin III, former commissioner of the New York Department of Correctional Services, died Aug. 23 following complications from heart bypass surgery. He was 63. Coughlin devoted most of his career to helping people in need and his...

AN INTERVIEW WITH TERRY L. STEWART: ARIZONA DIRECTOR OF CORRECTIONS SPEAKS OUT.
October 1, 2001... Terry L. Stewart was appointed director of the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) Dec. 15, 1995. Prior to this position, he had served the department since 1985 in the capacities of assistant director and deputy director. Stewart has...

Member Input Sought for ACA's Declaration of Principles.(American Correctional Association)
October 1, 2001... Dear ACA Members: It is our pleasure to submit to you a draft revision of the American Correctional Association's Declaration of Principles, last revised in 1982. We are presenting it to you for your input and comments prior to final...

Correctional Law for the Correctional Officer, Third Edition.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Correctional Law for the Correctional Officer, Third Edition, by William C. Collins, J.D., American Correctional Association (ACA), 2001, 189 pp. Attorney William Collins, from Olympia, Wash., has been a familiar figure in the field of...

Improving the Interstate Compact.(National Institute of Corrections holds meeting)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... This past May, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) held a meeting that included several of the Community Corrections Division-sponsored networks of state government administrators in Lexington, Ky. The Council of State Governments...

Litigation Is Best Managed With Positive Staff Performance.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... All legal issues in corrections are based on staff making decisions about inmate management and their interactions with their colleagues. Unlike any other job, nothing is routine, and correctional staff's judgment is tested continually. It...