Impact Georgia, 2009 May

May 2009 Newsletter

GDC STAFF TOURS THE TIFT CAMPUS

On Wednesday, April 8, more than 80 Central Office employees participated in a tour of our new headquarters home and of the Forsyth town square. Employees met at the Forsyth Welcome Center in Aldermen Hall and were given a briefing about the historic campus. Upon arriving at the new headquarters site, every person was issued a hard hat and groups were formed to begin the tour. Representatives of the architectural firm, Lord, Aeck, and Sargent, were there to lead the groups.

The tour included the renovated dormitories, corrections academy classrooms, office space, and each Division section. With floor plans in each building, employees were able to conceptualize the layout and get an idea of where they would be working in 2010.

Following the campus tour, lunch was provided at the Royal Palms Restaurant. Commissioner Brian Owens addressed the group and praised the local governments for their efforts in helping to make this tour a success. He also thanked State Representative Jim Cole for his work in helping to push the final appropriations for Tift through this session. Representatives from the city, county and state governments each spoke to the group. Speakers included State Representative Cole, Forsyth Mayor Tye D. Howard, James Vaughn, Monroe County Commission Chairman, and Tiffany Andrews, President of the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce.
Immediately following lunch, the group took a tour of the town square and was warmly greeted by many local business owners.
JOINT BOARD MEETING

In this Issue:
GDC Tours Tift Joint Board Meeting 48th Brigade Parade Clayton & Rome DRC's Customer Service Braille Program Open House James Parrish Retires

The Board of Corrections, POST Council, and the Board of Public Safety held a joint board meeting in Glennville, Ga. on April 16.

GDC STAFF IN THE 48TH BRIGADE CELEBRATED IN SEND-OFF CEREMONY
On April 23rd, a send-off ceremony was held in Forsyth, Georgia for the 48th Brigade, as they prepare to deploy overseas. Commissioner Owens, along with several members of the GDC management team were on-hand to support the troops. State Representative Jim Cole, Mayor Tye Howard and Monroe County Commission Chairman James Vaughn each spoke to the unit, stressing support and appreciation for their service and dedication. As of March 2009, the Department had 60 employees in the 48th Brigade.
Photos left to right: 1) Harris Hodges (Corrections Div. Dir.), Mark Guzzi (Legal Services Dir.), Commissioner Owens, and Arnold Smith (OPT Div. Dir.) are joined by other staff and individuals during the parade. 2) The 48th Brigade march during the parade. 3) The public gathers to watch those in the ceremony.

Upcoming Events:
May 4-8 - State Employee Recognition Week
May 12-13 - Senior Leadership Off-site
May 15 - Family Day
May 21 - Faith and CharacterBased Advisory Board Meeting
May 22 - GDC/MCG Leadership Meeting
May 25 - Memorial Day
May 27 - GDC Annual Awards Ceremony
May 28 - Griffin Day Reporting Center Graduation

CLAYTON & ROME DAY REPORTING CENTERS HOST GRADUATION CEREMONIES
On March 31, Clayton Day Reporting Center (DRC) graduated 21 exoffenders. They each received diplomas after completing the 6 to 9 month program.
During the program, both probationers and parolees are required to take classes in substance-abuse education, drug-relapse prevention, GED training, anger management, and job readiness.
To date, the Clayton DRC has graduated 154 probationers.
Photo to the left: Family members and friends give a standing ovation to the graduates.

Did You Know?

The Rome Day Reporting Center (DRC) held their graduation ceremony on April 7 for 22 ex-offenders.
Since its opening in 2005, the Rome DRC has graduated 250 probationers from their program.
Photo to the left: The graduating class takes a group photo.

The Department of Corrections
has 454 employees in the military.
*As of March 2009* (This number does not include all Veterans).

A WORD FROM OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE CHAMPION
Given this economic climate, all organizations are looking for ways to reduce outflow and do more with existing resources. The great thing about customer service is that it does not have to cost us a dime. The key attributes of customer service include being courteous, helpful, accessible, responsive and knowledgeable. To our customers, these attributes are priceless.

Allowing these attributes to influence our interactions with our customers will result in being able to react to any situation appropriately and professionally. By providing exceptional customer service, this positive energy will affect everything that we do in our agency.

In these lean economic times, customer service becomes even more important both for the benefit of our external and our internal customers. Being an exceptional customer service provider should always be at the top of your "to do" list.

Cathy Smith, GDC Customer Service Champion

SCOTT STATE PRISON HOSTS BRAILLE PROGRAM OPEN HOUSE
Scott State Prison's open house gave the inmates an opportunity to show the public the skills they've learned from the Georgia Braille Transcribers (GBT) program. Inmates are taught to turn English text into Braille and they produce Braille books for visually impaired students. Equipment was set up and the inmates gave step-by-step demonstrations on how Braille books are produced.
Middle Georgia Technical College awards an on-the-job-training Certificate of Achievement when students complete the basic braille program. Offenders may then earn national certification from the Library of Congress National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped as a Literary Braille Transcriber.

Commissioner Brian Owens
Public Affairs: Joan Heath, Director Sharmelle Brooks Kristen Stancil
Contact: 404-656-9772 GDCinfo@dcor.state.ga.us www.dcor.state.ga.us

JAMES PARRISH RETIRES FROM INVESTIGATIONS AND COMPLIANCE UNIT
James began his career with the Department of Corrections thirty-four years ago as a counselor at GDCP in Jackson, Ga. Prior to coming to the department, James proudly served his nation in the U.S. Air Force. James has always demonstrated a yearning to improve himself professionally as evidenced by achieving his masters degree. He was personally selected by the senior leadership of the department as the second in charge of the Compliance Unit. As the Assistant Manager, he was responsible for the day to day operational management of the unit as well as the lead auditor in charge of all comprehensive audits. Under his direction and guidance, the Unit gained unprecedented recognition for being highly competent, thoroughly exacting, and always focused on teaching and improving the professionalism of our department. He is an absolute stalwart and epitomizes the saying, "lead by example." He is married to Lilly and they have two children, Stephanie and Evan.

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