Impact Georgia, Mar. 2006

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DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS News and Facts to Keep You Informed - March 2006

Mission

2006 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE redeeming, rehabilitating and successfully

The Georgia Department

February 27, 2006

moving inmates back into society. This

of Corrections protects

resolution was adopted in the House last

and serves the public as

week and now moves to the Senate.

a professional organiza-

The Department of Corrections

tion by effectively managing offenders

has two pieces of legislation that are making their way

The last piece of legislation that we are following is HB 1318, which relates to the

while helping to provide

through the legislative process "Employee Benefit Fund." This bill will

a safe and secure

this year. The first, House Bill 57, involves provide DOC with the authority to use profits

environment for the

protecting the licenses of physicians who mu generated through vending machines to be

citizens of Georgia.

st be present during executions. According to used to offset operational costs on the

Georgia law, a physician must be present at institution.

Vision

an execution to pronounce death. Recently,

The Georgia Department of Corrections is the best
corrections system in the nation at protect
ing the citizens from convicted offenders and

anti-death penalty groups have been targeting the licenses of these physicians. This legislation simply offers a protection to
physicians for carrying out Georgia law. HB 57 has been passed out of the House and is assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

at providing effective opportunities for
offenders to achieve positive change. We are a leader and partner in making Georgia a safer,
healthier, better educated, growing and

The second piece of departmental legislation,
House Bill 1250, is an extension of the Probation Management Act of 2004. This Act will sunset on July 1 of this year, and HB 1250 extends that sunset provision to June 30, 2008. This bill passed out of the House last week and now heads to the Senate.

-----------1 best managed state.

One piece of legislation that we are in support of this session is House Bill 1126.

Core Goal

Representative Terry Barnard-Chairman

State Legislators Vote to Recognize Corrections' Chaplaincy Services
Across the state Corrections has 47 prison chaplains who meet the spiritual needs of 48,000 of inmates and nearly 15,000 staff on a daily basis. They are part of our clinical programming team and play an important role in the rehabilitation of offenders, bringing hope, faith and character-based programs inside prison walls.
Last week Georgia's Legislature recognized the benefits of providing chaplaincy to help rehabilitate the state's 48,000-inmate population and approved House Bill 1292, which will make it possible to honor chaplains at all Corrections prisons on the fourth Monday in

A Safer,

of the House State Institutions and Property March each year.

Healthier, Better

Committee-is the sponsor of this bill. It

Educated

states that a correctional officer who is injured "It is monumental for our state legislators

Growing, and Best

by inmate violence when five years or less to confer such an extraordinary degree of

Managed Georgia

from becoming eligible for Medicaid and

recognition upon a very special group of

Medicare may have an exemption from

Corrections professionals," said Commis-

the eight-year service requirement for

sioner James Donald. "Our chaplains

continuation of insurance benefits.

are vital to our mission in every facet of

Essentially, our correctional officers who

Corrections.

are injured by inmate violence in the line of The faith and

duty will now have the opportunity to continue character-

paying into the state insurance pool- IF they based efforts

are within five years of receiving Medicaid or they lead play



Medicare coverage.

a significant

role in the

Another piece of legislation we are in support transformation

A Learning Organization. People are the Centerr,1ece

of is House Resolution 1292. This legislation creates a "Prison Chaplains Appreciation Day." We are happy that our chaplains are being honored because studies have shown that chaplaincy and faith based programs have the strongest capacity for

of inmates, spiritually and cogn it ively."

..... GDCChaplains and Gov. SonnyPerdue (f Geor8ia

Continuation ...

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News and Facts to Keep You Informed - March 2006

SPECIAL KUDOS
Mr. WIiiiam "Bill" Jackson, Sr. - Recipient of the inaugural 2006 Columbia County Lijetime Achievement Award by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. Former Georgia State Representative Jackson was honored for his leadership and for making significant contributions to the prosperity and the quality of life of Columbia County in a number of ways for several years.
Mr. Ellis Wood - Named 2006 Business Leader of the Year by the Statesboro Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Wood was honored for succeeding in business and serving the StatesboroBulloch County community at the same time. He was recognized for supporting the economic vitality of the community and lor his passion for service in his church as a deacon.

This year the Chaplains' Appreciation Day will be held on March 23 at the State Capitol. There w ill be a group photo opportunity for the Chaplains w ith Governor Perdue and
members of the Legislature, followed by a luncheon sponsored by HeartBound Ministries. Special guests at the

l "'r'CI I ~

-

1

luncheon will include keynote speaker Warden Berle Cain,



of Angola S tate Prison in Louisiana, and former state inmate

_,

Rev. James "Hollywood" Henderson, who has become a

well-known national motivational speaker.
"We are grateful to our state legislators for this very special recognition of Corrections and our chaplaincy staff," said Chaplaincy Director Douglas Simmons. "Corrections has positioned chaplains in prisons to help promote the character development of inmates. It's part of our mission to fight recidivism, and we are delighted that our state

Preparation for New Fallh-ba.sed Men1ors .'It Al Burruss CTC. OPT Division Director Arnold Smith, far right, anct Cl\ap&aln Charles Tolbetl. far left. welcome new failM>asod partners wllO wiWwork wiLh speciaJized unil tor younger olf&rld81'$ a1 Al Burruss CTC. From left 10
right. Harold Willman, Regional Director Ch~ ions for Life Prison Ministries. Terri Hillman, State Dlrec:1or Ring of Champions Prison Mlnist.nes, and Mike McCoy. Nalional Director Champions fot TOday.

legislators support what we're doing."

Many may ask: Religion behind prison bars.. . What's the point? For Chaplain Simmons, he says, the point is to be able to transform lives inside the wire. "It's c hallenging work but the rewards are priceless." Simmons said he describes the role of prison chaplains as very diverse. "We match lhe need whether as teachers, mediators, counselors, or as program administrators." The diversity of services are effective in carrying out the state's chaplaincy programs.

"Statistics show that 97 percent of Georgia's inmates will return to the community after serving their sentences; said Simmons. "Faith and character development are key ingredients in helping inmates prepare to re-enter the community."

Visit our website at www.dcor.state.ga.us

EMPLOYEE TOUR TO FORSYTH ForsythBound - Time to Tour Tift College

Office of Public Affairs 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
East Tower, Suite 864 Atlanta, Georgia 30334

Forsyth Mayor J im Pace presents Commissioner James Donald w ith the "Key To The City of Forsyth."
On Friday, Feb. 17 Corrections Headquarters staff traveled to Forsyth, Georgia to tour the city as well as the new headquarters location. Employees were welcomed by Forsyth and Monroe County officials at the Monroe County Board of Education Auditorium.

- Tift College Campus. ~ I
Over 100 employees , ~ " traveled to Forsyth on two motor coaches in the first of a series of tour opportunities.
A special thanks goes out to the four
l Board members who
attended the tour: Ellis Wood, Tommy Rouse, Sheriff Tyson S tevens, and Judge Tom Salter.

....

Employees learned of the community redevelopment opportunities and benefits of the Corrections Headquarters relocation to the