Making an Impact
CCA's efforts to become the best full-service adult correctional system in the country led us to develop professional practices that make us the leader in the industry. Our dedicated employees provide effective programmatic services to CCA's offenders with sensitivity and care. Through empirical data, CCA's Inmate Programs department has demonstrated that we have impacted the cognitive thinking patterns of our offenders.
The primary function of the Inmate Programs department at the Facility Support Center is to encourage and enrich offenders and staff that provide services to them by setting up processes by which positive outcomes can best be realized. To continue our quest to demonstrate that our programs are evidence-based (proven to be valid through measurable outcomes), we are piloting projects at several selected facilities. One of these projects includes a new management tool for facilities to track offender progress through programs and provide real-time data collection and reporting. This process will reduce errors and increase efficiency, leaving more time to devote to productive offender programming.
Our philosophy to provide services that influence the thinking patterns and behavior of offenders in our system has led us to create many innovative approaches to rehabilitation. Due to this perspective, we have gained the trust of agencies that provide assistance in the completion of our mission. Programming partners come in all shapes and sizes, from national organizations to local community volunteers; these entities give us the ability to offer services that reach beyond the norm. We do more than merely keep our offenders busy; there has been proven effective and impactful therapeutic value, which we call "productive engagement."
Some of CCA's innovative programming includes our Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program (RDAP), which is a modified residential therapeutic environment with a proven track record for success. Our adult basic education (ABE) programs stress performance-based instruction that incorporates applied academics and workplace skills to assist in student preparation for post-secondary education and employment. Our unique partnership with the government of Mexico has benefited hundreds of Hispanic offenders by offering opportunities to earn equivalent educational certification recognized by several Spanish-speaking countries.
Vocational programs, such as construction technology, are nationally accredited by the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER) and provide apprentice certification to offenders who complete vocational instruction. The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) program is the only comprehensive, performance-based certification program approved by Microsoft to validate desktop computer skills using Microsoft Office programs. MOS certification is the globally recognized standard for validating expertise with the Microsoft Office suite of business productivity programs.
As we move forward, our senior executive team is dedicated to not only maintaining the quality of our programs, but also enhancing and enriching the preparedness of our staff. Beginning with carefully screening prospective staff, Inmate Programs is committed to providing tools that will help employees excel. For example, each addictions treatment staff member undergoes 96 hours of orientation training via eLearning and face-to-face, hands-on instruction by the Inmate Programs department.
"Changing Lives from the Inside Out" is an FSC-driven training geared toward those new to correctional education as well as those who have years of experience. The training covers issues such as the challenges of teaching in a prison, learning and teaching methodologies, teaching strategies, and the culture of correctional institutions and offenders. Our new Education Leadership Training program is geared toward CCA's facility education leaders. Topics covered include realities of the customer service model; recruiting, retaining, and evaluating teachers; program data management; and understanding program design.
Our technicians and other professional staff allow CCA the opportunity to become one of the premiere program entities in the country. This continued progression will allow us to create a niche that we feel will result in improved services to those entrusted in our care. It will also ensure the growth and development of staff and the acquisition of additional partnership opportunities.