CONCORD, NH – New Hampshire Governor Christopher T. Sununu declared the week of May 7-13, 2017 as National Correctional Employees Appreciation Week. Corrections Commissioner William L. Wrenn will visit the many Departmental facilities during this week to present bars and medals to over 60 employees for their extraordinary achievements in 2016 and 2017 and appreciate all staff for their commitment to their work and dedication to the rehabilitation of those incarcerated in New Hampshire.
National Corrections Employees Appreciation Week was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 to recognize the professionalism, dedication and courage exhibited every day by the staff working in correctional facilities. It is the one week out of the year where our Nation and the State of New Hampshire focuses their gratitude toward the hard working employees in Correctional settings. More than 800 men and women work in New Hampshire’s correctional facilities and offices including corrections officers, probation/parole officers, corrections counselors/case managers, nurses, mental health clinicians and other medical personnel, teachers, shop supervisors and tradesmen, support staff, clergy, accountants and many other administrative professionals. All of our staff work together collectively to achieve our agency mission: Our mission is to provide a safe, secure and humane correctional system through effective supervision and appropriate treatment of offenders and a continuum of services that promote successful re-entry into society for the safety of our citizens and in support of crime victims.
In his proclamation Governor Sununu stated, “Correctional staff are skilled professionals who must act as counselors, communicators and experts at crisis intervention and must preserve the safety of our lives and property, maintaining their professional demeanor, while often facing hostile, aggressive and intimidating behavior from prison inmates.”
Commissioner Wrenn said, “We are the largest law enforcement agency in the State of New Hampshire and our employees provide an array of security and rehabilitative services with integrity, respect, and professionalism. It is important that we take this opportunity to thank them for the work they do every day.”
Commissioner Wrenn will meet with employees at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord on Tuesday, The Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility in Berlin on Wednesday and the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women in Goffstown on Thursday. There will also be appreciation events at the Department’s Community Corrections Transitional Housing Units and in the Division of Field Services, which supervises persons on probation and parole.
National Correctional Employee Appreciation Week is an ideal time to recognize and celebrate correctional professionals for their devotion, bravery, and ongoing commitment to being the change that they would like to see in the world.
