Congratulations 
to our 2020 Award Recipients!

Watch a video of the award recognition meeting here!

2020 Louie Wainwright Award Recipient- Nick Hun 

Nick Hun served as the Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections from 1992 to 1997. Nick has over 30 years of service in infantry, Special Forces, military intelligence, aviation, military police, and corrections. He retired as a colonel with five overseas assignments and three tours. Read more... We are grateful and lucky to have Nick's continued guidance and support as an Associate of CLA.

2020 Tom Clements Innovation and Achievement
Award Recipient- Stephen Sinclair (WA DOC)

Stephen Sinclair was appointed Secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections by Governor Jay Inslee on April 25, 2017.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Sinclair began his 30 plus year career at the Washington State Department of Corrections as a correctional officer and gained progressively greater responsibilities as an investigator, sergeant, associate superintendent, superintendent, and assistant secretary. 

Sinclair is Co-Director of the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP), which is a unique partnership with the Evergreen State College. SPP brings science and nature to prisons, it educates and employs incarcerated individuals in a multitude of skills all contributing to science and our environment. 

As superintendent of the Washington State Penitentiary, Sinclair created and pioneered the Sustainable Practices Lab, which employs incarcerated individuals in jobs that reduce the cost of facility operations, provides meaningful vocational work and skills training while reducing idleness, and allows them the opportunity to give back to the community. The lab employs more than 120 people and is a national model of innovation that reduces recidivism. 

Some of his proudest accomplishments include the implementation of an outcome-based management system and refreshing the agency’s mission and values to integrate equitable treatment of all employees, embrace diversity and foster an environment of inclusion and respect. Shifting the agency values to a more human-centered approach will enhance the agency’s ability to deliver reentry services to improve public safety by positively changing lives. Read more...  

PRESS RELEASE: Secretary Sinclair Receives National Corrections Award

2020 Michael Francke Career Achievement Award Recipient-
Colette S. Peters (OR DOC)

Colette S. Peters has served as Director of the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) since February 2012. She was named by Oregon’s Governor to lead DOC after serving as the Director of the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) for several years. 

As DOC Director, Ms. Peters oversees a corrections agency responsible for managing approximately 14,900 incarcerated adults in 14 prisons across the state. She has ultimate responsibility for the management of an agency with 4,700 employees and a biennial budget of $1.8 billion. Ms. Peters also works closely with Oregon’s state-funded community corrections agencies to coordinate the local supervision of more than 32,000 individuals on probation and parole. 

With more than 20 years in public safety, Ms. Peters brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in adult and juvenile corrections, victims’ rights, and legislative and law enforcement policy and practices. She has gained a national reputation as a champion of using research and data to drive decision-making, improve outcomes for youth and adults in custody, increase agency efficiency and effective­ness, and promote staff wellness. Read More...

Oregon corrections director honored with Michael Francke Career Achievement Award

Remarks from Patrick Francke- brother of Michael Francke
 Video and Document