Selma - Training Director Wendy Williams announced today that the Alabama Department of Corrections Academy will hold the year’s third Academy Basic Training graduation on Thursday, October 30, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. Seventy-five Trainees will graduate, pushing the 2008 total to 257 graduates.

In 2007, 224 graduates completed the Academy, more than doubling the graduation rate of 2006. As a direct testament to the efforts in place for recruiting and hiring corrections officers, ADOC will now graduate more Trainees in 2008 than in any of the last ten years. “We can now breathe a big sigh of relief that all Trainees assigned to Class 2008-03 have successfully met the necessary academic requirements and are ready to graduate,” Williams said. “Our success is a combination of recruiting efforts, DOC personnel and their processing of applicants, and obviously my Academy staff who have done an outstanding job in instructing and mentoring our Trainees.”

For the first time during Williams tenure as Training Director, ADOC has graduated more than 80% of the Trainees who started the Academy. Class 2008-03 started with 93 members and will graduate 75 for 80.6%.

“This is wonderful! But considering we are down more than 562 officers, I wish we could graduate more,” said James DeLoach, ADOC Associate Commissioner of Operations. “This is a sharp class, not just numbers, but quality numbers. It’s a team effort and the Academy staff does a good job helping them through. Our graduation rate is climbing and we need the officers in our facilities.”

As defined in the May 2006 ADOC Action Plan, recruiting and retention, especially at the Correctional Officer level, is one of the Department’s highest priorities. ADOC has since implemented an aggressive recruiting campaign, to include partnerships with the Alabama National Guard, Alabama Career Centers, and the Army’s Partnership for Youth Services, as well as television, radio, internet, billboard, and various other forms of media advertising.

ADOC has more than 2,700 security personnel, with more than 1,000 non-uniformed support personnel, managing an in-house population of more than 24,900 inmates. Our current officer to inmate ratio is approximately 1:10, one of the ten highest ratios in the nation. Basic Training classes in 2009 are tentatively scheduled to begin on January 25, May 17, and August 30.

Warden III Leeposey Daniels of Draper Correctional Facility will be the commencement speaker. Please join us at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, October 30, at the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center. (Take US Hwy 80 West to Selma. After crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, turn right onto Selma Avenue. Turn left onto Washington Street. The Convention Center will be on the left at 211 Washington Street.)

The Department of Corrections welcomes your attendance.

MONTGOMERY – Commissioner Richard Allen announced today that the Alabama Department of Corrections is requesting proposals from responsible Vendors to fill the needs of the Alabama Prisoner Reentry Initiative. The Initiative, funded by the United States Department of Justice, creates a partnership between ADOC and a Faith-Based or Community-Based Organization designed to reduce recidivism by helping offenders find work and access other critical services for successful reentry into their communities. ADOC sought and was awarded grant funding through the Department of Justice Prisoner Reentry Initiative.

“I am pleased with the progress we continue to make with regard to reentry services,” said ADOC Commissioner, Richard Allen. “Most incarcerated individuals will one day return to society and they need the ability to function when released. Our Reentry Initiative will provide these men and women with the skills necessary to become productive members of their communities.” On an annual basis, ADOC releases in excess of 10,000 offenders back into society. The most recent statistical analysis revealed a 25.2% recidivism rate for the current offender population. ADOC currently houses in excess of 25,000 inmates. It’s believed that substance abuse is involved in approximately 70% of the cases for offenders entering ADOC.

Prior to release, the Department’s Prisoner Reentry Initiative will provide intensive drug treatment counseling and reentry preparation services. The ADOC is seeking a Faith-Based or Community-Based Organization in the Jefferson County metropolitan area to successfully provide post-release transitional services to 100 eligible male or female offenders for a two year period. Responses to the Request for Proposal are expected to include information regarding the Vendors ability to provide a comprehensive assessment of reentry needs, planning activities, job readiness training, and post-release transitional services that will be provided to the participating offenders. Vendors must also demonstrate how the implementation plan will be developed, executed, monitored, and evaluated.

ADOC will evaluate all proposals using criteria which may include:

1. Organization Summary
2. Project Design & Implementation
3. Capabilities &Competencies
4. Budget & Budget Narrative
5. Impact, Outcomes, Evaluation & Sustainment
6. Letters of Recommendation & Supporting Documentation

Vendor selection will be based on the proposal that meets or exceeds the requirements set forth in the request. After the evaluation and selection process, all Vendors will be notified in writing regarding the selection of the successful Vendor. A copy of the RFP is available on the ADOC website at www.doc.alabama.gov.

The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is November 20, 2008, at 5 p.m. A pre-grantee award meeting will be held on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at the Alabama Criminal Justice Center at 301 South Ripley Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104. Upon acceptance of the Vendors proposal the parties will execute a formal written contract, subject to review by the Legislative Contract Review Committee and approval of the Governor.

Innovative Venture in the Corrections Industry

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The U.S. Army Reserve and the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) launched a public-private partnership that will help strengthen the community, support Army Reserve Soldiers and their families, and maintain the security of the homeland. ADOC signed with the Army Reserve as an Employer Partner, joining in an alliance that allows both organizations to recruit, train and employ individuals interested in both serving the nation and pursuing a career in the correctional industry.

The Army Reserve’s partnership with ADOC provides Army Reserve Soldiers opportunities for employment with ADOC after they successfully complete their military occupational training (MOS). The Army Reserve and ADOC will work together to recruit, license and offer training reciprocity to qualified Soldier candidates.

“I’m pleased to officially begin an enduring strategic partnership with a respected agency like ADOC,” said Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, Chief, Army Reserve, and Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command. “I look forward to collaborating with our newest valued partner to achieve mutual goals to attract, develop and retain a quality workforce. This innovative human capital strategy is good for ADOC, good for the Army Reserve, good for our Soldiers and their families, and good for America.”

The agreement signed in early September commits ADOC to interviewing and considering all qualified, participating Soldiers for employment upon completion of MOS training. Newly enlisted Army Reserve Soldiers, Soldiers transitioning from the active Army to the Army Reserve, and Soldiers with prior service are all eligible to participate.

“We welcome our nation’s Soldiers to our growing team,” said Richard Allen, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections and former officer in the U.S. Army Reserve having retired in 1993 at the rank of Brigadier General. “The win-win opportunity builds Soldiers’ careers and strengthens the Alabama Department of Corrections. We honor our officers who are now deployed away from their families by helping to ensure that the homeland stays safe.”

The Army Reserve is collaborating with business and civilian leaders to develop staffing solutions to meet America’s industry demands, tackle the issue of workforce preparedness, and reinvigorate America’s human talent to remain competitive in the global economy. The initiative will also help the Army Reserve continue to meet the operational demands of the ongoing global war on terrorism.

In addition, it aims to establish a process whereby employers and the Army Reserve may secure and share the talents of trained professionals. Partners such as ADOC will benefit from the employment of men and women with Army values, experience and proven leadership skills. Since its inception in April, the initiative has already recruited many enthusiastic business partners including Inova Health Systems, American Trucking Associations, Sears, USAA, Con-way Freight, Crowley Auto Group and the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. More than 300 national, regional and local businesses and agencies are in various stages of formalizing a partnership with the Army Reserve.

ABOUT THE UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVE The Army Reserve is a community-based federally directed force of highly-skilled, patriotic men and women that provides our nation with trained units and qualified Soldiers during peacetime, contingencies and war. These Soldier Citizens are the backbone of the U.S. Army, providing critical support in combat, peacekeeping, nation-building and civil affairs. The Army Reserve is a reservoir of trained and experienced professionals in transportation, logistics, supply chain management, health care, law enforcement and public safety, construction trades, engineering, information technology, communications, financial services and human resources. Army Reserve Soldiers have proudly played a vital role in every American military and humanitarian mission of the past 100 years. Today more than 196,600 trained Army Reserve Soldiers in units across the country stand ready to serve the nation when called upon by the President. For additional information please visit www.armyreserve.army.mil.

ABOUT THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS The Department of Corrections is the largest law enforcement agency in the State of Alabama with more than 2,600 Correctional Officers and 1,000 non-uniformed support personnel, managing an inmate population exceeding 27,000.The mission of the Alabama Department of Corrections is to confine, manage and provide rehabilitative programs for convicted felons in a safe, secure and humane environment, utilizing professionals who are committed to public safety and to the positive re-entry of offenders into society. For more information, please visit http://www.doc.alabama.gov.

MONTGOMERY- In April of 2007, The Alabama Department of Corrections began something new and innovative, focusing not only on incarceration but also on release.

ADOC’s first ever Reentry Program helps offenders transition back into society while properly adjusting to life after prison. The program will now get a much-needed boost from the federal government in the form of a $540,000 grant, as announced by U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL).

“I am pleased to announce this funding of $540,000 for the Alabama Department of Corrections,” Sessions said. “Incarcerated individuals need to be able to function when they are released from prison. The prisoner reentry program will help provide these men and women with the skills necessary to be responsible members of our society.”

The grant funding is available through the Department of Justice Prisoner Reentry Initiative. Reentry efforts within ADOC will focus on substance abuse rehabilitation, cognitive behavioral therapy, life skills and job training, mentoring, and partnerships with faith and community based organizations. In March, Governor Bob Riley launched the Community Partnership for Recovery and Reentry encouraging faith-based and community groups to provide pre-release and reentry support to those leaving prison.

“Our faith-based and community groups are among the most trusted and effective institutions when it comes to helping those in need. I want to make sure our state agencies are working with these groups so former prisoners successfully return to society and live as lawful citizens,” said Governor Riley.

In all, the Department of Justice will award more than $10 million in federal assistance for states to develop, implement, and evaluate reentry strategies that will enhance public safety and reduce recidivism. According to estimates, more than 95% of those presently incarcerated will one-day return to our communities. Recidivism rates are lower, however, for those who transition back into society with specialized reentry services.

“Winning this competitive grant reflects well on the leadership and vision of Alabama Prison Commissioner Richard Allen and his fine team,” Sessions said. “They are committed to a better and more safe prison system that strives to reduce re-arrest rates and to do so at the lowest cost to the taxpayer.”

“We are more than pleased with the progress made in our reentry efforts,” Allen said. “Now, one of our hurdles is awareness. We need to make those incarcerated, and their family members, aware of the reentry services available to them.”

Elana M. Parker, an employee with the Alabama Department of Public Health on loan to ADOC for a period of two years, supervises the Department’s Reentry Program. Supervising offenders in the community and preparing them for return as productive members of society has become a critical criminal justice priority.

Additionally, ADOC is collaborating with the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify and address the needs of veterans upon release. The Health Care for Homeless Veterans program assists veterans with housing, life skills training, vocational rehabilitation, and gaining competitive employment. The VA works to ensure that within four to six months of release, a veteran will have obtained employment, permanent housing, and the life skills to maintain the newly acquired lifestyle.

“We are pleased to offer reentry services to veteran offenders within the Department,” said Ms. Parker. “Partnering with the VA further supports our reentry efforts to offer additional services to offenders that have served time in the armed forces.”

During the week of September 22, Reentry Specialist, Mr. Harrell Jamison, has been visiting ADOC facilities statewide including St. Clair, Donaldson, Bibb, Staton, Draper, Hamilton A & I, Red Eagle, Elmore, Frank Lee, Fountain, J.O. Davis, Bullock, Childersburg, and Tutwiler, informing veterans of the program and conducting needs assessments.

“I also help the veterans obtain their military records, apply for medical benefits at VA Medical Centers, apply for or restart their disability and, if needed, apply for an upgrade in discharge status,” Jamison said. “I maintain frequent contact with the veterans and the staff of the facilities by mail or telephone. If a veteran would like to relocate, I contact the Reentry Specialist in that area to inform him/her of the veteran’s needs at the time of release.”

Nationally, from a Criminal Justice perspective, the term reentry has received an enormous amount of attention. ADOC is taking great strides to develop a program that assist with this process. For more information on this subject, please visit ADOC on the Web at www.doc.alabama.govand click on the public information link titled Reentry and Pre Release.

MONTGOMERY- The Alabama Department of Corrections has previously announced plans to sell more than 5,000 acres of unproductive properties across the State, including almost 1,000 acres in Elmore County at Draper Correctional Facility. ADOC will sell the land to help offset approximately $90 million in deferred maintenance and capital improvement cost.

“This is the latest in a series of sales our Department is engaged in to convert unused property to capital,” said Corrections Commissioner Richard Allen. “We plan to use all proceeds to make much needed and long overdue improvements at our facilities.”

Five different parcels of land are for sale at Draper, the largest totaling 333.5 acres with a minimum bid of $2,368,000. This land is adjacent to 328.9 acres divided by road access, with a minimum bid of $2,506.000. Lands at Draper have previously been used for livestock and farming operations but are no longer productive and create a financial drain on the Department.

Prospective buyers will find the area booming with residential growth as Elmore County continues to see a population explosion. Much of the Draper acreage is in a prime location for subdivision development, less than 10 miles from Interstate 65 in Millbrook/Prattville and approximately 11 miles from Wetumpka. Other parcels for sale include: 191.9, 56, and 24 acres.

Governor Bob Riley and ADOC Commissioner Richard Allen previously announced plans to sell numerous unproductive lands to generate revenue for much needed capital improvements within the Department. Minimum bids for the Draper properties range from $181,000 to $2.5 million. ADOC has already sold more than 3,800 acres at the Farquhar State Cattle Ranch and a 16,000 sq. ft. office building on Union Street in Montgomery. Additional parcels remain for sale, including 32 acres on Highway 231 North in Wetumpka and 10 acres at the old Kilby prison site in Montgomery. The Department expects the sale of these properties to generate in excess of $22 million.

Minimum bids for each parcel may be obtained by contacting the State Lands Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Sealed bids for the Draper property will be received by the State Lands Director up until August 14, 2008, at 2:00 p.m., at which time all bids will be publicly opened and read in the Office of the State Lands Division, 464 Folsom Administrative Building, Montgomery, Alabama 36130.

ADOC will retain all oil, gas, and mineral rights on the property, with all other reservations and restrictions of record. The property may be inspected before 2:00 p.m. on August 14, 2008, by contacting the State Lands Division. The State reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to negotiate a higher sale with the highest bidder.

Selma - Training Director Wendy Williams announced today that the Alabama Department of Corrections Academy will hold the year’s second Academy Basic Training graduation on Thursday, July 24, 2008; at 10:30 a.m. Eighty-four Trainees will graduate, pushing the 2008 total to 182.

In 2007, 224 graduates completed the Academy, more than doubling the graduation rate of 2006. ADOC is on path to graduate more Trainees in 2008 than in any of the last six years. A third Academy class starts in early August.

“We are extremely pleased to announce that all but one of the eighty-five Trainees assigned to class 2008-02 successfully passed the final academic exam,” Williams said. “With 109 originally assigned, we will graduate 77% of this class. And, with our third class set to begin next month, we should well exceed last year’s graduation totals.”

As defined in the May 2006 ADOC Action Plan, recruiting and retention, especially at the Correctional Officer level, is one of the Department’s highest priorities. ADOC has since implemented an aggressive recruiting campaign, to include partnerships with the Alabama National Guard, Alabama Career Centers, and the Army’s Partnership for Youth Services, as well as television, radio, internet, billboard, and various other forms of media advertising.

“Our recruiting efforts are picking up as evidenced by the increasing numbers,” said Richard Allen, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections. “We still have a long way to go in terms of building our work force, but we are improving. We’re certainly hiring more than at any time in recent history.”

ADOC has more than 2,700 security personnel, with more than 1,000 non-uniformed support personnel, managing an in-house population of more than 24,900. Our current officer to inmate ratio is approximately 1:10, one of the ten highest ratios in the nation. Each Academy class consists of a 12-week, 480 hour intensive training program to include defensive tactics, classroom instruction, and physical conditioning. Upon graduation, each new CO is certified by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards Training Commission and required to complete an additional 40 hours of in-service training per calendar year.

Warden Gary Hetzel of William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility will be the commencement speaker. Please join us at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, July 24, at the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center.

(Take US Hwy 80 West to Selma. After crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, turn right onto Selma Avenue. Turn left onto Washington Street. The Convention Center will be on the left at 211 Washington Street.)

The Department of Corrections welcomes your attendance.

MONTGOMERY- In April of 2007, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Richard Allen announced a new Reentry Program designed to help inmates adjust to life outside of prison, and thereby reduce the overall recidivism rate. During the last ten months, ADOC has been actively involved with the development of this statewide reentry model, with further goals intended to encourage public safety in our communities, address public health and social disparities within the offender population, reunite parents with children, and, offer referral linkages to inmates and ex-offenders transitioning back into society.

ADOC’s Reentry Program is supervised by Elana M. Parker, an employee with the Alabama Department of Public Health, on loan to ADOC for a period of two years. Ms. Parker is implementing the program as Reentry Coordinator and Public Health Liaison. Studies have shown that the first year after release is critical and that without a sound reentry plan, many inmates will return to prison within 12 months after release. It is estimated that more than 95% of those presently incarcerated will one day leave prison, returning to our communities. Recidivism rates are lower for those who transition back into society with reentry services.

“We are more than pleased with the progress made in our reentry efforts,” Allen said. “Now, one of our hurdles is awareness. We need to make those incarcerated, and their family members aware of the reentry services available to them.”

ADOC’s Reentry Program incorporates multiple components consisting of community education and transitional services. The model looks to expand existing services offered through institutional pre-release programs and Work Release.

Additionally, other state agencies have been identified, along with faith based and community organizations that provide transitional and reentry services to previously incarcerated persons (PIPS). A number of community organizations including substance abuse treatment centers and residential rehabilitation programs have provided such services to PIPS for a number of years. New reentry resources will assist with the following: obtaining personal identification and driver’s license, basic life skills, food, clothing, shelter, job search, education and adult literacy programs, family reintegration, parent/child assistance services, vocational and apprenticeship trainings, and health care services.

The Neighborhood House in Birmingham is one such organization assisting with reentry services. “Transitional services are very important because most folks incarcerated are coming out,” said Executive Director, Howard Peoples. “It’s important that we help with a positive transition back into society, and help them put their lives back together.”

An inmate living at the Neighborhood House, who wishes to remain anonymous, is benefiting from supervision post-release. “I’d rather be doing this any day,” the offender said. “I would not wish prison on anybody.”

By utilizing ADOC’s Reentry Program this inmate has a place to live, a sponsor, and perhaps most importantly, a job in the Birmingham area. “I have a chance to be able to reentry society instead of sitting in prison waiting to (expire my sentence), and not knowing what to do then,” he said. “This gives me a chance to get on my feet, pay fines and everything… I’m able to get a license; in prison you cant do that.”

Recently, ADOC in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety has been working aggressively to assist PIPS with obtaining both personal identification cards and a driver’s license. Previously, this has been a tremendous challenge for PIPS who do not have the required documentation. Effective February 12, 2008, DPS will accept the following: Probation or release papers issued by State or Federal Departments of Corrections with photo ID cards issued by the same authority, or felon ID cards issued by the Sheriff of the county of applicants residence.

As a result of this new change, PIPS will have greater success in obtaining proper identification, and thus securing a job that will assist him/her with basic living needs, and ultimately result in a successful transition back into the community.

“If a previously incarcerated person has basic necessities immediately upon release, they are less likely to re-offend,” said Parker. “Most of us take identification for granted, but without it, basic survival needs including food, clothing and shelter are harder to come by.”

The Alabama Department of Corrections is appreciative of the assistance and support offered by the Department of Public Safety relating reentry efforts in the State of Alabama.