Media Relations Office:
Bart Graves, Media Relations Administrator
1601 W. Jefferson
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(602) 542-3133

This is the week for celebrating excellence in the workplace! In addition to recognizing correctional officers and correctional educators during the first week in May plus nurses whose appreciation week begins this Friday, this is also Public Service Recognition Week and tomorrow, Wednesday, May 4, is State Employees' Recognition Day. What a great opportunity to thank each and every one of our 10,000+ corrections professionals in the Arizona Department of Corrections for your contributions.

Our department has embarked upon an exceptional journey. We are proud of our relative strengths and where we are still encumbered by relative weaknesses, we are finding ways to overcome these problems. In the aftermath of the hostage taking early last year, we continue to take a long look at our policies, our practices, our programs and keep the promise we made to ourselves that we'd do better, be better; in fact, become this state's flagship state agency and this country's best correctional system. Now, there's a promise worth keeping!

Since that time, teams of subject matter experts from every unit, every complex, every bureau have come together to help us reinvent our department. You've helped us write a code of conduct and all of us have pledged to follow it in full. You've participated in peer review assessments and helped to make change happen on the spot, fixing deficiencies where you can and developing action plans as needed. You've volunteered to serve as class advisors and field instructors, leading by example at COTA and on the job. You've studied hard and raised the average score on core competency testing. You've cut the number of felons returning to prison on technical revocations. You protect us from exposures to infectious and contagious diseases. You are awesome. As more advisory and planning groups are being formed, the numbers of hands you raise to pitch in goes up, too. In every instance this department is getting smarter and stronger because of the time and attention you give to each of these important endeavors.

Any number of reforms is underway and their success is directly attributed to you. You introduced direct supervision and unit management in the level-1 units. You're developing transition-specific programming that makes sense and protects the public better than before. You're pressing more inmates to use their time productively, solve their problems peacefully, and express remorse earnestly to crime victims. You're using the field's best practices and inventing Corrections' next practices. Where the physical plant, old vehicles and outdated equipment need fixing, you make miracles happen. Where software can't be bought and data is hard to find, you overcome it. You make sure that reports are readied on time and documents are well maintained. There isn't one job class or work location in ADC where examples of excellence can't be found.

Your contributions extend well beyond the workplace and the workday. You are leaders in your communities, generous with your time and your limited funds for charities and other important institutions and activities. Many of you have also served your country as well as your state. You bring distinction to public service. You are Arizona's most distinguished public servants. Congratulations to you on your day.

Respectfully,


Dora Schriro
Director
 

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