THE A DVOCATE A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION February 2012 Inside this issue ; Director‘s Corner 2 ADC mourns loss of officer Department Briefs 2 Class 2011-O Graduates 3 Cpl. Ester killed by Class 2012-P Graduates 3 inmate at EARU Cartoon 3 3 SSCA Raises Bar 4 ADC, AACET in KY 4 Health Matters/ 5 Back Pain Prevention Farewell to Diagnostic 6 COEA Chili Cook-Off 7 Policy Spotlight 7 Inmate Drama Group 8 Frank Ellis 8 Severe Weather Damage 9 Weight Management 10 Three Generation ADC 10 On Jan. 20, Cpl. Barbara Ester died crowd flowed into the lobby and outside. after being attacked by an inmate at the The crowd was so large that ADC Retiring 10 East Arkansas Regional Unit at Brickeys. employees gave up their seats to allow New U.S. Citizens 11 She was performing duties as a property space for family and community mem- Calendar of Events 11 officer when she suffered stab wounds to bers to be seated. the chest area. Representatives from corrections and Mailroom Terrorism 12 Cpl. Ester died later that afternoon in law enforcement organizations across the A year later 12 a Memphis hospital. country attended. Sgt. Laurel Hooks of Chaplain on Gun Range 13 She was a well loved and respected the Tucker Unit Boot Camp program or- officer at East Arkansas and was known ganized the honor guard for Cpl. Ester‘s Polar Bear Plunge/Run 13 as a generous person with a big heart in service. Officers came from prisons and Training Information 14 her community and church in Marianna. benevolence groups located all over the Oh Deer 14 The response to her death has been U.S. to participate in the service. overwhelming. Cpl. Ester‘s funeral was The Arkansas Association of Correc- Promotions/New Hires 15 held Jan. 28 at Lee High School in tional Employees Trust covered funeral Parting Shots 16 Marianna. About 1,000 people attended expenses and provided other monetary the service. The auditorium floor, bal- support to the family during this difficult cony and stage area were filled and the time. Page 2 ADC Advocate Tragic death serves as reminder of risks, safety concerns Jan. 20, 2012. of our fellow officers, and controlling their im- Nov. 19, 1995. safety of non-uniformed pulses. They don‘t always staff and safety of inmates. respond appropriately to There are dates we will That‘s why ADC puts such stress, challenges or con- never forget at the Arkan- an emphasis on training frontations, and too often, sas Department of Correc- and searching for contra- their first response is vio- tion. November 19, 1995. band. That‘s why everyone lence. January 20, 2012. is pat searched before en- We all know correc- These are the dates that tering the units. These are tions is a business with two of our own died in the preventative measures that risks. That‘s the burden of line of duty. Both were we can take to keep our doing this work, but that killed by inmates. workplace safer. burden can be made lighter When Cpl. Barbara You must never forget by paying attention to secu- Ester was stabbed to death that the inmates in our care Ray Hobbs rity issues and never being on Jan. 20 by an inmate at ADC Director and custody are here for a the East Arkansas Regional reason. lulled into a false sense of Unit, it had been almost 17 placency. That‘s what some Many are serving their safety. Days, months, years years since Scott Grimes likely experienced when time as well-behaved in- can pass with nothing hap- met the same fate at the they learned of Cpl. Ester‘s mates, but some have no pening and then one day, Maximum Security Unit. death. We get up and go to regard for themselves or the unthinkable happens. We‘ve never forgotten that work each day and do our their fellow man. You must Never forget it can happen. tragic day in 1995, but jobs. Most days could be always be mindful of this The first thing you enough time has passed described as what passes fact – no matter what your need to think of when your that the incident may not be for normal in the correc- job is at ADC. Because feet hit the floor in the real to a new generation of tions business. It‘s the job, ADC‘s institutions usually morning is safety. You officers and employees. no big deal. run so smoothly, some- need to be thinking of what What happened Jan. 20 But, it is a big deal. In times it‘s easy to get too it takes to get you home should serve as a reminder our environment, we can‘t comfortable with where safe to your family at the that anything can happen at afford to think otherwise. you are and who you‘re any time – to anyone. We are in the business supervising. But don‘t. end of the day. Always re- The shock of cold real- of security. Safety must Inmates often have diffi- member, security first … ity can quickly dispel com- always come first – safety culty managing their anger safety first. Department Briefs Savannah Poland began working Jan. 23 at the Central Office as an intern in the Paws in Prison program. She is a fourth year criminal justice student at UALR. Poland is a native of Conway. In her spare time, she enjoys photography and col- Savannah lecting antique camera Poland equipment. Sgt. Jon Burch, center, of the Ben- She said she looks for- ton Unit was recently promoted to ward to working with the ADC as ORCU Warden Dale Reed accepts the lieutenant. Also pictured are Assis- Southern Bancorp Manager of the Year tant Warden Judy Taylor, left, and part of her criminal justice intern- Award Jan. 19 from Diana Reggans at the Warden Randy Watson. ship. Malvern Chamber of Commerce Banquet. February 2012 Page 3 Training Academy recognizes Class 2012-O, Class2012-P graduates Class 2011-O Graduated 01/06/2012 Class 2012-P Graduated 01/20/2012 No picture available: Alvin Baker, Kyra Bass, Tamika Boyd, Karl Cherry, Daniel Coleman, Yashika Corey, Larkesha Davis, Dedrick Dixson, Angellica Dyson, Jeremiah Ellis, Shastanie Fuller, Amber Goodloe, Sha‘Nell Goodman, Ronda Hale, David Hankel Jr., Markhitha Harris, Torres Jackson, Joshua Lamb, Katina Laws, Kelly Leonard, James MacAlla, Kedeizsha Mat- thews, Austin Mauldin, Kenneth May III, Jessica McCluskey, Jackee McMiller, Debra Mendenhall, Colton Montgomery, Brian Neal, Marqus Neal, Christopher Pen- nington, Kirsten Pennington, terra Polston, Kenneth Pruitt, Gary Queen, Preston Ragland, Brandon Reed, Ty- ler Rigsby, Kendruea Ruffin, Christopher Slater, Robert Smallwood, Antonio Smith, Forrest Smith, Casanda Star, Miguel Benoit, Tara Boyce, Ebony Brown, John Butler, Samantha Tucker, Anthony Turner, Warren Vanwinkle, Gregory Chambers, Lucas Collins, Clint Cooke, Natasha Dominique White, Kendra Whiteside, Jeremy Williams, Davis, Charles Dennis, Calvin Ford, Karl Gillihan Jr., Trevor Williams, and Jeremy Wingfield. Willie Harris, Shakia Johnson, Sterling Kirk, Jessica Paris, Seth Pate, James Phillips, Gavin Roberts, Brady Shannon, Edward Smith, Terry Smith, John Sparks Jr., and Leonard Stewart. Lt. Anthony Sims, center, receives a plaque from his shift at the Benton Unit in honor of his retirement on Dec. 31. Sims had been an ADC employee since March of 1984. “Cheers!” Lt. Florence Pierce of the Benton Unit celebrates her retirement on Jan. 27. Lt. Pierce started her career with the ADC in August of 1990. The Real Cupid Page 4 ADC Advocate Southern States Correctional Association raises bar for excellence In 1969, a merger of the South- Two times each year, dedication of approximately 1,200 eastern States Probation and Parole representatives from members. Conference and the Southern States the Arkansas Depart- Through training sessions and Prison Association created the South- ment of Correction networking, SSCA is able to raise the ern States meet with fellow level of knowledge and practical tech- C o r r e c - SSCA delegates to niques used in the correction environ- t i o n a l discuss news and busi- ment for its members who pass on Associa- ness concerning the that experience to the workplace. tion. Its correctional industry. ADC Director Ray Hobbs cur- member- Grant Harris The conference at- rently serves as SSCA treasurer. ship con- tracts participants Grant Harris, Arkansas state rep- sisted of correctional professionals from all areas of corrections, includ- resentative, said, ―The SSCA has be- from 14 southern states including ing adult and youth services, proba- come a dynamic force in the field of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, tion and parole, counselors, teachers, corrections.‖ Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, administrators, law enforcement and Membership dues are $25 per North Carolina, Oklahoma, South prison officials. year which includes an SSCA lapel Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, While the SSCA attracts vendors pin and a subscription to the quarterly and West Virginia. The first meeting and businesses from across the coun- ―Southern Concourse‖ magazine. of the SSCA was held May 17-20, try that specialize in correctional ser- 1970, at the Marriot Motor Hotel in vice, its most important asset is the Dues can be payroll deducted or or- Atlanta, Ga. combined knowledge, experience and dered at www.sscaweb.com. ADC, AACET reps attend SSCA Mid-Winter Conference in Kentucky Planning committees, officers and state represen- tatives met in Lexington, Ky., for the Southern States Correctional Association‘s Mid-Winter Conference Jan. 19-22. Sheila Sharp, Tommy James, Toni Bradley, Todd Ball and Donna Stout of ADC and Kevin Murphy, past SSCA president and AACET executive director, attended the conference. They participated in training sessions and at- tended committee meetings, where topics such as catastrophic weather, finance, scholarships, and pre- planning for the SSCA Summer Meeting scheduled for July, were discussed.