Resource Exchange

Correctional Education Conference
Submitted by: Mayland Community College
Contact: Debbie Stafford

Mayland Community College received a Perkins professional development grant for the 2005-06 grant year to conduct a Correctional Educators Conference. The conference was held May 18, 2006 at Mayland Community College. Descriptions of each of the conference sessions as well as accompanying PowerPoint presentation files are provided below.

Using the Internet Without An Internet Connection
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One of the challenges in teaching classes concerning technology in a correctional facility is the lack of access to that technology. The internet has become an integral part of our lives, yet many student inmates may never have been exposed to such a now-commonplace part of our work and home lives. This session will discuss the possibilities for providing student inmates with access to technology that gives them a sense of the internet, including the use of Open Source software (which is free to use) to open up new opportunities and provide access to technology that would otherwise be unattainable.

Utilizing Open Source software that does tasks such as pulling down a website for local viewing allows the student inmate to experience a small piece of the internet, allowing concrete access to an element of modern life that has previously been an abstract concept to them. This presentation will include a demonstration of one particular Open Source tool - Moodle (Modular Object Oriented Distributed Learning Environment) and highlight how the Application Certificate program students at Avery/Mitchell utilize the program. Additionally, other Open Source software will be discussed that can help provide further resources for students.
Presented by Chris Smart and Cooper Christian, Mayland Community College

Gangs/Security Threat Groups
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During this presentation, participants will receive information on five major threat groups within the state of North Carolina. The following threat groups will be discussed:

Trends, characteristics, and the history of these groups will be discussed in great detail.
Presented by Johnny Hawkins, Division of Prisons/Security Section and Vance-Granville Community College

Staff & Inmate Relationships: Maintaining Professional Boundaries (Undue Familiarity)
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In this presentation, the term “undue familiarity” will be defined, and the reasons why undue familiarity is such a concern in the correctional setting will be addressed. The North Carolina statute which makes sexual contact with an inmate a felony will be explained and discussed. In addition, the importance of professional staff-to-staff relationships and the use of professionalism when dealing with inmates will be explained and discussed. The characteristics which make staff vulnerable to inmate predators will be identified as well as the identification of prevention strategies to deter and eliminate undue familiarity in the correctional setting. NOTE: This two-part session is intended to satisfy the annual undue familiarity training requirement for correctional educators and personnel.
Presented by Cindy Clark, Avery/Mitchell Correctional Institution

Predicting the Consequences: An Inside Look at Correctional Education
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The presentation will focus on the role and concerns of the correctional educator in an immured environment and incorporate strategies needed to provide a conducive atmosphere for learning. Research indicates that correctional educators are inadequately trained and are not prepared emotionally and physically for the rigors and ramifications associated with teaching in a correctional institution. Therefore, classification of inmates, institutional jargon, inappropriate classroom behavior, and the importance of enforcing security perimeters will be discussed and evaluated.
Presented by Kizzy Crawford-Heath, Nash Community College

Games Criminals Play
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In this session, the presenter will discuss the elements, strategies, and ultimate “pay-off” of the setup. This program is a complete dissection of the “con games” inmates play and how the correctional educator can learn to recognize and be wary of the signs and how to prevent being a victim.
Presented by Murdock McLaurin, Sandhills Community College

Mental Health Concerns in Prisons
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This presentation will discuss the role of the mental health professional in the corrections system and what an educator needs to know. Topics will include an overview of mental health needs of prisoners, delivery of services, prevalence of mental health diagnoses, characteristics of typical mental health patients in prison, including acute types (psychosis, delusional, bipolar, depressed, substance dependent), and chronic types (antisocial PD, narcissistic, other). Considerable time will be spent on relevant concerns for educators such as dangerous or manipulative behavior and medications used for treatment and their effects.
Presented by Rich Brunner, Avery/Mitchell Correctional Institution

Instructional Support Tools
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Employers are continually looking at ways to ensure proper job placement within their organizations. This trend reflects the need for a better way to ensure job competency. Our job as educators is to promote and document educational activities aimed toward meeting these needs. One of the best methods of documentation is a criteria-based curriculum demonstrating student competency.
In this session, the efforts of Mayland Community College in meeting this curriculum goal will be discussed along with some of the documentation methods implemented in competency-based education for vocational programs.
Presented by Greg Barksdale and Robert Brown, Mayland Community College

Blood Borne Pathogen Training
PowerPoint files not used for this session.
This session will be a discussion of blood-borne pathogens (this is the OSHA 1910 29CFR required annual training) and will include the following topics:

Presented by Lee Whittington, Mayland Community College