President's Message:

May much peace be upon you and yours this season.  As we prepare to ready ourselves for a new year of service, I hope we take a moment to reflect on the lessons learned and missions accomplished during 2012.    It is important that we recognize the great strides made toward establishing and maintaining re-entry initiatives for those men, women and juveniles in our custody and under our supervision.  It is essential that our staff share in knowing that their professionalism is changing lives.  In our present times of economic hardships it behooves us to educate the public we serve as to how modern correctional professionals are succeeding in making our communities safer. 

We must record our trials and tribulations as well as tell the tales of our achievements, big and small. Never underestimate the good you do.  Always be willing to share your experiences.  NAAWS provides us with a network of peers – eyes and ears; minds and bodies.  The responsibility we have as leaders in the field of correcting deviant behavior is great, but those we serve to protect stand to experience great rewards from our dedication.  In the end, we shall be blessed with the fact that our sacrifices resulted in hope and even peace.

I commend you all for your contributions and encourage you to spend time documenting your life in corrections.  We need to tell our own stories.  I ask you to take a leadership role in recruiting others to do so.  Please submit articles to professional journals, newsletters and other outlets.  The time is ripe for recognition of how far we have come in our quest to improve public safety.  We are positioned to realize more strides toward human dignity, despite limited financial resources, as a result of our ability to collaborate.  Our partnerships with those across the spectrum of criminal justice due to enhanced modern technology, allows us access to an infinite working body of knowledge.  Let us never think we are alone.  Reach out to one another during all times. 

I look forward to seeing you all in January at the American Correctional Association’s bi-annual meetings.  Your attendance at the conferences and your participation in NAAWS is appreciated.  We all benefit when we come together.  Enjoy your lives in and out of the profession. 

At your service,

Darrel Vannoy, President