Director Schriro participates in Perryville Community Forum

Director Dora Schriro answered questions from female inmates at a recent town-hall style meeting, held at ASPC-Perryville.  The meeting was the most recent for members of the Perryville Community Forum, a group comprised of representatives from each of the female units at Perryville and ASPC-Tucson/SACRC.

Program Services Director, Steve Ickes, ADC Director Dora Schriro, and ASPC-Perryville Warden Denny Harkins were among several panel members who addressed inmates concerns.

The Community Forum was created as a positive and productive environment that creates pathways for ADC to share information with its inmate community of women.  Representatives seek inmates' input and ideas on various matters and provide an opportunity to bring forward their ideas, concerns and issues for consideration and response.

"The program fits in very well with Director Schriro's parallel universe vision for ADC," said Womens Services Administrator Ellen Kirschbaum, who facilitates the forum along with ASPC-Perryville Warden Denny Harkins.  "The women who participate are like representatives on a town council.  They have a voice in their community." 

The inmates weren't afraid to share their concerns.  Director Schriro spent nearly two hours addressing forum members' questions about a variety of topics including transition planning, inmate jobs and rate of pay, discretionary powers for early release, higher education programs, proposed legislation effective prisons and community service oriented programs.  

Prior to the Director's arrival panel members answered other concerns, mostly healthcare related.  The panel included Kirschbaum and Harkins, Programs Services Director Steve Ickes, Piestawa Unit Deputy Warden JoAnn Smith, Health Services Administrator Dr. Dennis Kendall, Facility Health Administrator Larry Clausen, and Family Programs Administrator Nancy Bolton.