|
|
| Woman in Charge |
| By NWITimes |
| Published: 11/29/2006 |
|
This week's career focus is a remarkable story about a remarkable lady in corrections. We're proud to spotlight individual achievements like this each week. This time we're turning to the source, Indiana's NWITimes, that wrote the story originally. Please check it out. It's quite inspirational. CROWN POINT, IN - She's the first female, black corrections officer to become warden of the Lake County Jail -- and she survived the transition from Sheriff John Buncich to Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez. But she said she also has been an out-of-work, single mother of four who fed her family on $10 a week. That could be why Caren Jones takes her promise to the community so seriously. "The sheriff's department is all about 'to protect and serve,'" Jones said. "Trouble is, everyone wants to forget the last line. I think protecting is easier when you do serve. I've been blessed, and I believe to whom much is given, much is required." Jones counts her parents as her heroes. They came from Arkansas with five children so her dad could work in the steel mills. "You know the saying, 'We were poor but we didn't know it?' That was us," she said. "I had a good foundation. I learned right from wrong. I learned never to miss school. I learned to share. And I learned it was OK because momma said it was OK." Her parents made sure all their children graduated from high school because they never did. Jones said she benefitted from being one of 10 children. "Having that many brothers and sisters, you see every personality known to man," she said. Jones married at 21. In two years, she had three children -- twin girls then a boy 13 months later. The marriage proved rocky, and Jones said she divorced her husband when the girls were 4 and her son was 3. "I figured, why should you suffer when others are being healed? But it was one of the hardest things I ever went through," she said. While working as a computer operator, Jones fell in love and became pregnant at 32. Having a child out of wedlock was no picnic, Jones said. "They (hospital personnel) talked to me horribly," Jones said. Months later, she was laid off from her job. "I do know how to feed a family of five on $10 a week," Jones said, rattling off her purchases and the prices of each. Her former sister-in-law told Jones about the police cadet program in which she could get a certificate while working part time at the East Chicago Police Department. When she developed a medical condition, though, she needed benefits. Jones heard they were hiring corrections officers, and though it wasn't her dream job, she decided to apply. "The first day I came here I thought, 'This is an insane asylum,'" Jones said. Jones joined the department in 1988, working midnights while going to school. She remembers trying to leave the house one night and having to remove her 2-year-old daughter, who was blocking the door, screaming "Mommy. Don't leave." Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Our truck accident lawyers have seen many causes of these accidents. They can often include an improper lane change, incorrect stopping distance, defective equipment, an inexperienced driver, an unqualified driver and road defects. Our team of trucking accident attorneys will investigate your accident with the help of experts to determine the most likely cause of your 18 wheeler accident. While you wait for the conclusion of your truck accident claim, your Waco 18 wheeler accident lawyer can work around the clock to address issues such as medical bills, calls from creditors, communications from insurance companies, and legal fees. Semi truck owners are required to carry more extensive insurance coverage, the trucks are subject to a strictly controlled maintenance schedule, and drivers are required to track and limit their time on the road. But many trucking companies pressure their drivers to drive without sleep to get to their destination. This creates fatigue for the truck driver.