Congratulations to our newly elected board members!
Our CLA Board is as follows: Anne Precythe (President), Rob Jeffreys (VP), Josh Tewalt (Treasurer), Dean Williams (Western Region), Carol Mici (Northeast Region), Heidi Washington (Midwest Region), Bryan Collier (Southern Region).
The staff at the heart of the Missouri corrections culture transformation
Anne Precythe President of the Correctional Leaders Association & Director of the Missouri Department of Corrections, USA
Staff is one of the main topics on which Director Precythe has focused her leadership efforts. She and her team are committed to creating a safer workplace, improving employee satisfaction thus, automatically, enhancing the quality of work and outcomes.To this end, the Missouri Department of Corrections is investing in training and valuing the workforce. With this, it will be more and more possible to retain people, interact and intervene better with offenders and truly transform the organizational culture.In this interview, Director Precythe explains her entire vision, talks about recent achievements and challenges, and also gives us an insight into the Correctional Leaders Association, of which she is President.
Director Dean Williams Receives Prestigious ICPA Award
The International Corrections and Prison Association awarded Colorado's Director of Corrections Dean Williams, The Head of Service Award for Excellence. This prestigious award recognizes a Head of Service or Agency who has made an outstanding contribution to advancing professional and humane prisons and corrections in their country.
The ICPA Correctional Excellence Awards have been established to recognize outstanding progress and excellence with respect to the mission of the ICPA, particularly those achievements which advance humanitarian approaches and advance professional corrections. They have the following objectives:
Encourage correctional organizations and activities at the international, national, institutional, and community levels that promote the goals of the ICPA;
Enhance professionalism and excellence in correctional activities at both the organizational and individual levels;
Encourage cooperation, partnership, teamwork and the sharing of professional knowledge;
Encourage improved humanitarian approaches toward inmates and offenders.
Maryland DPSCS Sharpens Re-entry Focus With Career Fairs At Pre-release Facilities
The incarcerated man on the brink of release said he was 20, but looked much younger. Facing long odds for job prospects and an uncertain future, he sauntered into the Baltimore City Correctional Center gymnasium and was startled to find a potentially life-changing scene unfolding before his very eyes. At 15 tables set up along the walls were representatives from huge companies like Perdue Chicken, Flagger Force, and Sysco, and providers of vital services like the MD Insurance Administration and the MD Dept. of Labor.Veteran Parole and Probation agents and supervisors were poised to answer questions from those who were about to transition from incarceration to supervision. In the middle of the gym sat the very leader of the state’s largest agency, intently focused on helping two inmates navigate their next steps.“We know,” said the leader, MD Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) Secretary Robert Green, “that if you walk out of here with a job and with information you need to go home, you’re far more likely to stay home and be successful. That’s our goal today.”
There are many factors that contribute to an individual’s recovery and success after incarceration. Re-building and maintaining strong family bonds are just one element that can make all the difference. When an individual goes to prison, it not only impacts themselves but their family and children. Then you throw COVID into the mix… Due to restrictions and preventative measures, the South IdahoCorrectional Institution has not allowed minor children to visit for 2 ½ years.
In September 2022, SICI hosted a carnival event proposed by Officer Brock Woodside. When he submitted the proposal for the special event, the facility management team knew it was the perfect way to welcome the children of incarcerated individuals back into visiting. The event was coordinated over the course of several months by a collective team of staff and residents, who came together to make the event reality. During the event, a father and young son broke down in tears as they physically embraced. A young girl beamed with joy as she told all the staff and volunteers about how much she loves her Daddy.
Justice Counts empowers data-driven decision-making today while planning for better criminal justice data tomorrow. From October 24 to 26, criminal justice agencies are invited to participate in this effort by joining a series of sector-specific work sessions:
Chopping for Change empowers women in the criminal justice system by providing them with significant work experience and training. This innovative partnership with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry, and The Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry allows women to receive second chances through culinary arts training.
