• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Corrections Connection HEROES Among Us Volume 32, Issue 3 SPECIAL EDITION 2020 Corrections Connection SPECIAL EDITION 2020 2 In this issue: Heroes Among Us 3 In memory 7 Thank You 7 In their words 8 New Employee Spotlight 11 Corrections Quiz 13 Seen on social media 13 New hires 14 Retirements 18 Corrections Connection is a publication of the For the chance to have your photo featured on the Office of Public Information and Communications. cover of the newsletter, email a high-resolution Story ideas, feedback and comments can version of the image and a description of where it was be submitted to Holly Kramer at KramerH@ taken to Holly Kramer at [email protected]. michigan.gov. Like MDOC on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Committed to Protect, Dedicated to Success Corrections Connection SPECIAL EDITION 2020 3 HEROES Among Us “Though we are faced with many challenges, it has Staff step up to keep been incredible to see people from all administrations and areas of the department step up to help one communities safe another and unite as one team,” said Director Heidi Washington. during coronavirus A Helping Hand Corrections professionals across the department have outbreak in Michigan stepped up to help their colleagues in countless ways. Whether it was by delivering food to homebound coworkers and neighbors, taking on new assignments t has been unprecedented. and extra work, or stepping out of civilian clothes and The State of Michigan has taken aggressive action to back into a corrections officer’s uniform, staff across the slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and as department have not hesitated to help. Iit tore across communities, it upended life. “We have encountered obstacles that we have never Schools and many businesses are closed. Events are been faced with at this level and in our time of need postponed and citizens across Michigan have been our fellow MDOC employees have answered our call asked to stay home unless they have critical roles or are for help,” said Melinda Braman, warden of Parnall attending to the needs of themselves or their families. Correctional Facility, which has felt the impact of a So much has changed. One thing that hasn’t is the wave of positive cases among staff and prisoners. unwavering dedication of Michigan Department of She said she has been amazed and inspired by Corrections employees, who continue to work hard to the actions of staff at Parnall, and staff across the protect the citizens of Michigan. department who have stepped up to help at the They are true heroes. Committed to Protect, Dedicated to Success Corrections Connection SPECIAL EDITION 2020 4 facility. Staff from all Jackson facilities as well as corrections transportation officers, Absconder Recovery Unit Investigators and regional maintenance, among others, have come forward to assist. “Walking through the facility you look in front of you and you see staff from all throughout the department working side by side, staying positive and sharing stories, all while keeping all of us inside and outside the facility safe,” Warden Braman said. “Each day we rise up and return to work, knowing the weight of the situation is still there. Yet the dedicated staff at (Parnall) find a way to make it through another day, another shift or possibly two shifts.” Members of the community have also come forward to help recognize the work of MDOC staff and provide donations. E&S Graphics created signs praising the work of corrections staff that were posted outside facilities, American1 Federal Credit Union in Jackson hung banners in its windows thanking officers, Les Cheneaux Distillers donated 36 bottles of the hand sanitizer for staff at Kinross Correctional Facility and Adrian’s First Church of the Nazarene donated 200 containers of disinfectant wipes to officers at Gus Harrison Correctional Facility. The food technology program at Gus Harrison has also provided snacks to staff as a way to show their gratitude for their hard work. Manufacturing to meet a Need A nationwide shortage of masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment also resulted in Michigan State Industries stepping up to produce those items as quickly as possible for staff and prisoners departmentwide. MSI has factories at Carson City, Chippewa, Ionia and the Jackson correctional facilities working to produce masks, gowns and other protective wear, said MSI Administrator Chris Kamrada. There has been a tremendous demand on resources nationwide, and staff from both MSI and PMCD have worked hard to procure the materials needed to Committed to Protect, Dedicated to Success Corrections Connection SPECIAL EDITION 2020 5 produce the protective items, he said. “We’re doing everything we can with the help of Fleet and others to support the department and help protect staff and prisoners,” he said. In a two week time period, the MSI Garment Division, led by Production Manager Deann Gallagher, provided the Department with 176,890 washable protective masks, 4,390 patient gowns and 738 protective suits. MSI has also ramped up production of soap and cleaning products. Its factory in Detroit has boosted soap production with the goal to produce 75,000 bars of soap per week, up approximately 10,000 bars of soap per week from its usual production run. The Mattress Factory at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility manufactured more than 1,300 mattresses and 300 pillows to supply the department’s quarantine units. The MSI Optical Lab at Gus Harrison Correctional Facility made 1,000 sets of protective eyewear within a day for staff working with prisoners with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. Kamrada said staff from all over the department have pulled together to help. “I cannot express how proud I am of the MSI response to this crisis and the resolve our workforce has shown. Everyone is stepping up,” he said. “You have to have faith and hope that in the future things will be better and this too will pass. The attitudes and respect people have displayed has been phenomenal. People in corrections have really come forward to help.” Care for coworkers and the community At a difficult time like this, it could be easy to be consumed by worry, but MDOC staff across the department have pressed forward and haven’t stopped thinking about others. Kylie Woods, a departmental technician in the records office at Kinross Correctional Facility said she and her colleagues try to stay positive an upbeat for each other. “We stick together as a team in order to make it through our day and we take it as it comes,” she Committed to Protect, Dedicated to Success Corrections Connection SPECIAL EDITION 2020 6 said. “We will make it out of this together.” Other staff are also looking out for their colleagues. Agent Tamela Lail-Monday also delivered food to colleagues at Detroit Reentry Center to show appreciation for the work of facility staff, and Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility staff raised more than $400 for Zion Food Ministries in Ionia. Staff are also finding new ways of doing things, too, using video applications for calls and conducting orientations in parking lots to remain outdoors while still maintaining the expected contact location. “They’ve really stepped up with creativity, cooperation and a desire to look out for each other and the public,” said Region Manager Steven Matthews, who covers an area that includes Jackson, Adrian and Ann Arbor. “We’ll get through this and it’s because of our people.” Chance Dalzell, a supervisor at the Livingston County Parole and Probation Office, echoed that and said his team has been exceptional. “They all have a can-do attitude,” Dalzell said. Keith Koger, region manager for field operations who oversees an area that includes Saginaw, Midland and Mount Pleasant, said staff his team is trying to make the best of a difficult time, and he reaches out often to see how they are doing. They have continued to make sure they are in touch with those they supervise, and to help uplift each other, with some staff leaving care packages for their colleagues when they swap state vehicles. In Van Buren County, field staff held a farewell parade for retiring Supervisor Laraine VanLopik since they could not be together to celebrate. “It never ceases to amaze me, the countless selfless acts of teamwork displayed by our amazing staff,” Koger said. “In this crisis, our staff have really come together to help and support one another.” Committed to Protect, Dedicated to Success Corrections Connection SPECIAL EDITION 2020 7 Remembering those we have Lost Department mourns loss of corrections transportation officer and word processing assistant in Detroit he department was deeply saddened by the losses Ryan Road Correctional Facility in 1994, then began Tof two long-time employees, who passed away working as a corrections transportation officer out of after contracting coronavirus (COVID-19). the Detroit Reentry Center in 2001. Damon Burton, a corrections transportation officer, Rosetta Brown began her career with what was then passed away March 31and Rosetta Brown, a word the Department of Social Services in 1978. She held processing assistant at the Lahser District Probation several positions in state government, including with Office, passed away on April 3. the Michigan Supreme Court and Department of Ed- Both were ucation, before joining the MDOC in 1998 as a word long-time state processing assistant for the Field Operations Admin- employees. istration’s Metropolitan Territory. She also worked Burton began as a word processing assistant at Scott Correctional his career in Facility and Western Wayne Correctional Facility, 1989 as a cor- before returning to FOA in 2004. rections officer Both were dedicated public servants whose commit- at Huron Val- ment to the safety of all Michigan residents will not ley Correction- be forgotten.

Load more

  18

Copy Link