Corrections Corporation of America's Kentucky Correctional Centers Receive Academic Recognition

July 28, 2007
Two correctional centers owned and operated by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) in Kentucky recently gained recognition from the state's Department of Corrections for excellence in educational and vocational programming.

Lee Adjustment Center (Beattyville, Ky.) was lauded by the Kentucky Department of Corrections as the state's Outstanding Education Center for the 2005-2006 Fiscal Year. The facility produced 120 GED graduates over the course of the year, tops in the state.

Meanwhile, Otter Creek Correctional Center (Wheelwright, Ky.) was recognized by the Department of Corrections for becoming the first Kentucky facility to undergo a change in its vocational programming curriculum to one that provides participating offenders the opportunity to acquire industry-recognized certifications. Examples include the facility's Construction Management program where inmates can earn certification recognized by the National Center for Construction Education Research; and a computer program that serves as a test site for Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) programming.

"We're very proud of the achievements made at these private prisons in regard to the academic programs for our inmates," said Kentucky Department of Corrections Commissioner John D. Rees. "Providing opportunities for inmates to either obtain their GED or certification in a job training program is extremely important in the business of Corrections. Both will better equip them to get a job once they're released, so you have not only improved the life of the inmate you have reduced recidivism as well."

Lee Adjustment Center Public Information Officer Erv Napier said staff and inmates alike are quite proud of the recognition and what it represents. "Attending classes and taking the GED test gives our inmates initiative, something to look forward to and a real sense of accomplishment," Napier said. "We are very excited about this recognition because we're not the biggest facility in the state, but we were still able to produce the most GED graduates."

Lee Adjustment Center inmate Juan Delapaz did not speak any English before he entered the facility; now, he not only has earned his GED but is tutoring other inmates - in English - to help them earn their own diplomas.

"I couldn't believe it when I passed the GED test, it was such a feeling of accomplishment," Delapaz said. "Now, I'll help with any subject anybody needs. I really enjoy tutoring."

Otter Creek Public Information Officer Greg Compton said the key to success at his facility is the dedication of course instructors. The facility offers vocational training in the areas of construction management, horticulture, carpentry, and Microsoft Office.

"Having instructors who really care about what they're doing and keeping the inmates' interest on a daily basis is vital to our ability to deliver topnotch programming," Compton said. "The significant thing about moving to this national certification is that it means our inmates from out-of-state will be certified wherever they go."

CCA, which owns and operates three correctional centers in Kentucky, housing offenders from Kentucky, Hawaii and Vermont, is the nation's largest corrections management provider in the United States. The company is the fifth largest corrections system in the nation, managing more than 72,000 offenders on behalf of federal, state and local government agencies, with 65 correctional centers located in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

The company specializes in the design, construction, financing and operation of these facilities and provides a strong array of educational, vocational, substance abuse treatment, faith and life skills programming for the offenders. For information on CCA, visit correctionscorp.com.