Wyoming – The Wyoming Department of Corrections will observe the week of May 1st to the 5th as Correctional Professionals' Week.  In a letter from WYDOC director Robert Lampert, the week is to honor corrections employees who have provided for the safety of Wyoming families and individuals for the past 131 years.

“As this agency has evolved, so have its staff and the expectations of them.  Employees, once considered in the aggregate as "guards," now do much more than guard prisoners and, as such, are truly deserving of recognition as corrections professionals.  Corrections staff, both full-time state employees and others who are delivering corrections-related services, are today well-trained, highly skilled corrections professionals.  They are effectively managing offenders and community risk, while giving each offender access to the opportunities necessary to become effective, law-abiding citizens upon their transition back into our communities,” Lampert says.

In a tribute to these unsung heroes, he says corrections officers dedicate their lives to serving crime victims and to ensuring the safety of communities through the incarceration and supervision process.  He adds that corrections officers have the tough job of role-modeling socially acceptable behavior by reinforcing positive pro-social behaviors and by holding offenders accountable for their actions.

"Corrections is the process that occurs as a result of the supervision, professional concern, and unselfish commitment of our state's corrections professionals.  I am happy to report that in Wyoming "correction" happens more often than not as a result of incarceration and community supervision, but only due to the efforts and influences of our corrections professionals. During this week of special recognition and throughout the year, we should honor and respect the work these professionals do for us each and very day of the year,” he says.