The Southern Region Communicator
An e-publication of the Southern Region RTI Team
Issue Three, August, 2006
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Hello from the Southern Region Team of the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Academy Division’s Regional Training Initiative (RTI)!
Follow this link to the Regional Training Initiative web pages, where you can find more information about the RTI, how to apply to be an RTI team member, how the RTI is integrated and related to NIC’s services http://nicic.org/WebGateway_174.htm
We hope that you enjoy and find our electronic “newsletter” helpful and useful to you, as you go about the “business of the business” of adult and juvenile corrections and justice this year!
Each issue of this e-publication is designed to provide you with highlights of the latest news from NIC, key information about professional conferences, and the latest updates and information on Southern Region events and
projects. Follow this link to NIC’s home page http://nicic.org/
Do You Want to Be a Part of the FY2007 Southern Region Team?
Do you want to travel to far away places within the southern region?
Do you want to network with other driven training professionals in your field?
Do you want to have a great time learning new skills and being a member of a high-performing work team?
The consider applying to be a member of the Southern Region Team!
We are currently looking for new members for FY2007.
Follow this link for more info http://beta.nicic.org/Community/blogs/training/archive/2006/06/30/85.aspx
Or you can contact Leslie LeMaster at 1-800-995-6429, ext. 121 by September 18, 2006.
What is the Southern Region Team and Who Are We?
The Southern Region RTI is a ten member volunteer team of training professionals, who have partnered with NIC, to represent and target training and training related services and resources to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The team represents adult and juvenile justice training and development professionals from the discipline areas of jails, prisons, community corrections and juvenile justice.
The Southern Region Regional Field Coordinator (RFC) Team, meets annually to assess, plan, implement and evaluate projects targeted to current training and development service gaps within their region.
Follow this link to a current list of Southern Region RTI Team Members for FY2006, along with membership of teams representing the Central, Northeast and Western regions http://nicic.org/WebPage_183.htm
What Does the Southern Region Team Do?
Here are just a few projects the team has been working on in 2006 . . .
* Delivery of Staff Supervision for Corrections Professionals Train the Trainer - delivery will be completed in Austin, TX on Sept 25th-29th.
* Develop Curriculum for Training Design & Development Train the Trainer
* Develop Curriculum for Foundation Skills Train the Trainer
* Conduct Leadership Conference Workshops
* Create and Implement Marketing Strategies
* Process Development Meeting - Dates of June 12 – 15, 2006, held and completed
* E-Newsletter – sent out November 05, March 06 and August 06 to date
* Needs Assessment Processes & Resource Directory – an annual project to assess the unmet training and training related needs within the region
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Feature Article . . .
Creating Opportunities for Corrections Staff Training through Interagency Cooperation: The Experiences of Shelby County, Tennessee
Wayne J. Pitts, Ph.D.
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Memphis
The evolution of the profession of corrections has challenged many departments around the country to re-evaluate their training programs in order to ensure that their staff is well-qualified to address the shifts in the field. Aware of these issues, several corrections administrators with facilities in Shelby County, Tennessee have established a working group known as the Corrections Training Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from the County, State and Federal level and the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Memphis. The Shelby County Corrections Training Advisory Committee was created under the guidance of Chief James Coleman of the Shelby County sheriff’s Office (Jail Division) located in Memphis, Tennessee. Hired in 2001, Chief Coleman recognized many of the training and other staff needs and sought an innovative, collaborative, and cost-effective strategy to address these concerns. To achieve these goals, Chief Coleman invited the top corrections administrators in Shelby County to come together to discuss the idea of a corrections command college. The focus of this initiative was to develop future leaders of the Department but not to alienate or otherwise discount tenured employees. The Training Advisory Committee participants included representatives from the following four Shelby County corrections agencies: the Federal Corrections Institute of Memphis; Mark H. Luttrell Correctional Center (State of Tennessee Prison); Shelby County Division of Corrections, and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (Jail Division). Representatives from the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Memphis completed the membership of the Training Advisory Committee. It should be noted that each of the wardens and jail administrators also included a number of relevant support staff in the committee.
The first meeting of the Training Advisory Committee was held on August 20, 2004 at the Shelby County Training Academy. The purpose of this initial meeting was for the various players to become acquainted with each other and to develop an understanding of how such a group could serve to benefit the interests of the agencies involved. Since 2004, the committee has continued to meet monthly to discuss issues of training and other common points of interest. In short, the efforts and vision of the Shelby County Training Advisory Committee have led to an unprecedented level of collaboration in Shelby County Corrections. One of the first steps taken was the development and administration of a Career Development Survey designed, distributed and analyzed by Assistant Professor Wayne Pitts of the University of Memphis, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. As a direct result of this collaborative effort, a new degree in Correctional Administration and a certificate program in Correctional Leadership and Management have been developed and are now available through the University of Memphis. (See http://www.uc.memphis.edu/administration.htm for more information). These opportunities have been developed with amazingly quick turnaround and the program has been widely publicized. Now that the model program has been developed, the Training Advisory Committee has begun to explore other educational and training options with other Memphis-area higher education entities including Southwest Tennessee Community College, Christian Brothers University and LeMoyne-Owen College.
The benefits of the collaborative effort have already extended beyond the original reasons for developing the advisory team. The association between the county, state and federal correction entities in Shelby County has allowed the team participants to share ideas and promote cross-agency development. Through the partnership, the three agencies came together during National Corrections Week and held a coordinated Corrections Ball in 2005 and similar activities are being planned this year. The unmatched partnership in Shelby County has improved communication about common training issues and the benefits are already visible. Besides the development on the career development Survey and the resulting Bachelor’s degree program in Corrections Leadership and Management, the Training Advisory Committee has also functioned to make partners aware of training opportunities available within individual agencies. For example, a recent training conducted by the National Institute of Corrections conducted for Shelby County corrections employees was also attended by state and federal corrections staff.
Shelby County Corrections Agencies have joined together to create a cost-effective and innovative approach to addressing shared correctional issues and concerns. Perhaps most important, this partnership is sustainable over time as long as the top administrators continue to participate at current levels. The Shelby County Correction Training Advisory Committee came together with a common problem and, through the commitment and innovation of the participants; a fresh new program has been developed and implemented. A comparable strategy of collaboration may have similar benefits in other jurisdictions.
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Wayne J. Pitts, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
University of Memphis
309 McCord Hall
Memphis, TN 38152
901-678-5662
wpitts@memphis.edu
To See the Latest from NIC . . .
Follow this link to the NIC home page http://nicic.org/
How Can I Access the NIC Learning Center (NIC’s new web based portal)?
NIC launched it’s e-Learning center last year, and has extended the power of the center to eventually serve as a portal for accessing all of its training services.
Follow this link to the NIC Learning Center – register for enrollment in e-Learning courses and to be a user here http://nic.learn.com/learncenter.asp?id=178409
Contact The Southern Region
We welcome your feedback on this new e-publication! Please send your comments and questions to Editor, Rob Reardon at rob.reardon@lafayettesheriff.com.
Until our next issue, the Southern Region Team sends its wish for your continued success!
Current Southern Region RFC’s
Barbara Weber
Florida, Georgia
Training Coordinator
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Duval County
barbara.weber@jaxsheriff.org
Phone (904) 630-7181 Fax (904) 630-7550
Wendy Williams
Alabama, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Alabama Department of Corrections
Training Director
Phone: (334) 872-6228 Fax: (334) 874-6046
wwilliams@doc.state.al.us
Peggy Bailey
Tennessee, Arkansas
Training Coordinator
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office
baileyp@shelby-sheriff.org
Phone: (901) 545-2638 Fax : (901) 545-5344
Gayle Tallon Brazell
South Carolina, North Carolina
South Carolina Department of Corrections
Training Division Director
brazell.gayle@doc.state.sc.us
Phone: (803) 896-1208 Fax: (803) 896-1224
Carey Welebob,
Texas, Oklahoma
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Deputy Director CJAD
E-mail: Carey.Welebob@tdcj.state.tx.us
Phone: (512) 305-9302 Fax: (513) 305-9368
Rob Reardon
Louisiana, Mississippi
Director of Corrections
Lafayette Parish Sheriffs Office
E-mail: rob.reardon@lafayettesheriff.com
Phone: (337) 236-5488 Fax: (337) 236-5488
A BIG RFC Thanks!!!
Thank you to all the people that responded the last time this newsletter was mailed. We are always looking at ways to make this document and training opportunities better for the Southern Region.