EDITOR'S CORNER

Education is our focus this month, and reporter Ann Coppola looked to the stars for a program that uses satellites so it can offer vast educational options to corrections professionals and inmates. The hardware might be thousands of miles in space, but thanks to this technology, learning about any topic is just a few mouse clicks away.
Jim

Tell us what you think.

FEATURED STORY

Eyes on the skies

By Ann Coppola

Looking to the skies for intelligence

The collective groan you might have heard in the past few weeks was probably the millions of scholars, young and old, acknowledging that summer vacation had ended and it was time to head back to school. You won’t hear any complaints from the Correctional Education Association though, where things are looking up, quite literally.

CEA has refurbished its educational system into the Transforming Lives Network, where educators can download programming via the association’s satellite. TLN currently provides 1,400 hours of offender education and more than 600 hours of correctional staff training each year.

“It’s provided from our satellite on a digital band signal which is uplinked to hundreds of facility sites throughout the nation,” TLN project director Anne Charles explains. “Each facility uses a fixed dish and the signal goes directly to a satellite decoder. They subscribe to and then tune the decoder to our frequency, and then they can get the programming. More

Send us your article or story idea.

READER FEEDBACK

Regarding We remember still, 9/12/07

Joe Bouchard's article is "on point." Here in NYC we were musing among ourselves after 9-11 "What if Correction Officers were on those doomed airplanes?" While this may be a wishful projection, I suspect there might have been an alternative outcome on that day if COs were involved in this scenario.

This is a very strong statement, but this is what our profession does for a living: Preventing or stopping "thugs" from carrying out evil deeds. How many times have we stopped a razor-bearing inmate by putting them in body holds? While the al-Qaida trained terrorist is a thug raised to a higher order, and no doubt a major problem to control, it is my belief that trained COs can thoroughly contain terrorist scenarios that do not involve firearms.

The CO, I believe, looks at terrorists in the same vein as the gangs that inhabit our jails. The methodology is pretty much the same, that is, gangs and terrorists alike try to seize control by disrupting normal operations and creating extraordinary motivators to put the majority of the population and staff off balance. Thus they create a small window of opportunity to make themselves known and to have control. Per Mr. Bouchard's statements vigilance and prevention are the only ways to contain this menace, which Correction people know very well. 9-11 is held very closely to the NYC uniformed community, wherein the Correction Department participated fully along side the other agencies in the response to the World Trade Center tragedy.
John J. Murphy, Jr, Captain, NYC Dept of Correction

Have an opinion? Send them to editor@corrections.com.

LOOKING AHEAD

Developing Stories Upcoming stories on Corrections.com and the Corrections Connection ezine Juvenile Corrections Committee Discussion with FLDOC on hurricane and emergency response From jail to luxury abode, the Mass. Liberty hotel What would you like to read about?

Focus Issues 2007 October Health - Coverage of current health issues and programs November Legal roundup/review of current cases December The corrections impact on the community Submit an idea for a focus issue

CORRECTIONS.COM FEATURE STORIES

Mind & Heart: All you need is L.U.V.

As mentioned in my prior article, Are you really listening? 5/29/07 I explained that to interact effectively with others, whether at work or at home, we first need to listen well. Listening helps us understand the speaker’s issues and enables us to communicate effectively back to them. Such understanding can best be expressed through validating comments. More

A healthy addiction

This September marks the 18th annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, and one California prison is expanding an innovative recovery program that is turning heads and turning lives around. More

We remember still

The events of 9/11 teach us that vigilance is key and complacency fatal. On September 20, 2005, Corrections.com printed this piece as "Corrections staff are natural anti-terrorist agents." Two years later, on the sixth anniversary of that life-changing day, this is still relevant. In fact, as time recedes from the event, the lessons are even more relevant. We in corrections are always watchful. More

BUSINESS NEWS

Syscon Presents Prison Gangs’ Management Solution To National Major Gangs Task Force

Syscon Justice Systems, the world’s leader in offender management systems, announced today that it will officially launch its new Security Threat Groups (TAG STG) application during a luncheon speech and presentation More

DuPont Personal Protection Introduces Tychem® QC for Corrections

DuPont, the maker of Kevlar® and a leader in protective apparel for nearly 40 years, has introduced a new garment for corrections officers, DuPont™ Tychem® QC for Corrections. More

ATG’s inmate email system processes more than 8 million messages

Advanced Technologies Group, Inc. has implemented an extremely secure, highly scalable inmate messaging solution that enables inmates and their families to communicate with each other directly. More

CAREER WATCH

New director of victim services for Kansas Jennie Marsh has been named Director of Victim Services for the Kansas Department of Corrections. She has been the KSDOC’s victim services coordinator since January, 2002. Read more

Visit our job center today Employers: Post Jobs View Resumes Job Seekers: Post Resume Search Jobs

EVENTS

Verbal Judo: Excellence in Tactical Communications

Date: 10/2/07
Course content helps enhance safety, diffuse dangerous situations, lessen stress at home and work. More

HIV Therapy, Management & Emerging Treatment Options

Date: 10/3/07
The Management of HIV/ AIDS in the Correctional & Community Setting is an on-going satellite videoconference series designed to address clinical issues in the management of HIV-infected patients. More

Correctional Accreditation Assoc. of Ohio - Annual Training Conference

Date: 10/4 - 10/5/07
In the continued pursuit of accreditation, the CAAO Board of Directors are committed to bringing valuable training and updates to members through the annual conference. More

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Dignity consists not in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them."
- Aristotle

Unsubscribe