Welcome to the official Florida Correctional Probation Officer Chapter of the Florida PBA website

News & Press

Corrections USA Recognizes Two of It’s Own for Their Heroic Actions in Saving the Life of a Fellow Officer

Corrections USA, the National Voice of Corrections Professionals, is recognizing Correctional Officers Anthony Valasa and Anthony Sanchez of Monmouth County, New Jersey, Sheriff’s Office and has awarded them their Valor Award on this date. This award is given out yearly to the Correctional Officer/Officers who have acted bravely in the line of duty across the nation.

In November of 2008, Correctional Officers Valasa and Sanchez responded to an incident at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, where a violent career criminal was attempting to murder a Correctional Officer Poplawski, who foiled his plot to escape.

Officers Valasa and Sanchez, with total disregard for their own well-being, interceded in the assault of Officer Poplawski, saving him from significant injury or death.

Corrections USA Chairman James Baiardi said: “The career criminal involved in this incident had a long history of violent assaults against the law abiding members of the community. Correctional Officers Valasa and Sanchez extraordinary heroism at the risk of their own lives, above and beyond the call of duty, was in keeping with the highest standards of their profession, and reflects great credit on them, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Correctional Officers in the USA.”

“Every year hundreds of Correctional Officers are the victims of violent crimes perpetrated by career criminals confined in this nation’s jails and prisons. And every year thousands of acts of heroism by these nations Correctional Officers go unnoticed by the public and politicians. As the National Voice for the Corrections Professionals, Corrections USA is duty-bound to educate the public about the most difficult and complex job in public safety”.

Corrections U.S.A. Urges Full Federal Funding to Reimburse States for the Costs of Incarcerating Criminal Aliens

Today, leaders of Corrections U.S.A. (CUSA), an association representing over 80,000
professional correctional officers nationwide, expressed disappointment at the Obama
Administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2010, which fails to properly fund the State
Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).

CUSA is asking Congress to fully fund the SCAAP program in the Appropriation bill for 2010,
as authorized in public law 109-162. The SCAAP program was enacted as part of the Crime
Act of 1994, to ensure that state and local governments are not financially responsible for
housing immigrants that enter this country and commit crimes in our communities.
Criminal aliens place a huge burden on scarce state and local resources. It has been
estimated that state and county governments face more than $16 billion a year in
incarceration costs alone for criminal aliens. However, SCAAP has only provided between
$250 million and $585 million in reimbursement funding annually from 1996 to 2006. These
amounts are well short of the amounts paid by state and local governments and do not even
come close to the amounts authorized for the SCAAP program under federal law.
According to CUSA Chairman Jim Baiardi “We are not asking for a government hand out.
We are asking for the federal government to step up to the plate and reimburse state and
local government for the costs associated with housing criminal aliens, as authorized under
federal law. State and local resources need to be devoted to state and local responsibilities
and not on paying the tab for failed federal policies.”

Approximately 110,000 criminal aliens are currently housed in state and local correctional
facilities. Baiardi said criminal immigrants are sentenced to serve time in state and local
correctional facilities for murder, rape, drug offenses, burglary, aggravated assault, and other
crimes. They contribute to overcrowding, gang violence and a host of other problems that
threaten the security and safety of correctional facilities and communities across this
country.”

“We are overwhelmed at the state and local level with prison overcrowding, violence,
understaffing, and escalating costs to run our prison systems,” said Baiardi. “If the federal
government would do its job and prevent the illegal entry of criminals, this part of the problem
would be solved. Short of that, we are asking the federal government to fully offset the costs
of incarcerating these criminal aliens and allow state and local governments to use their
limited resources addressing local priorities, instead of paying for failed federal policies,”
Baiardi concluded.

CUSA joins IAWIC in Calling NY’s Training Manual For Female Correctional Officers Garbage; Commissioner Pulls Booklet From Training Program.

Today, the New York State Department of Correctional Services informed IAWIC and CUSA that the booklet entitled the “Orientation Handbook for Female Officers Graduating from the New York Department of Correctional Services Academy” is no longer being used in the State’s training program.  
 
Here is a sampling of the advice the booklet offered female correctional officers:

  • Women should avoid gossiping at work, being too bossy at home, and should eat ice cream to avoid burnout
  • Women shouldn’t use profanity “to be one of the boys.”
  • “The strong assertive role you play at work may not be appreciated by your friends or spouse.”
  • “Monitor your own behavior and eliminate flirtatious mannerisms while on the job.”

CUSA Chairman Jim Baiardi joined IAWIC President Tamara Bartel:  “These booklets are nothing short of an outrage and it is a slap to the face of every female officer in the world that New York’s Department of Correctional Services was distributing this garbage to women who risk their lives to keep the public safe from criminals.”
 
Female correctional officers, like all correctional officers, work in an extremely dangerous environment that is understaffed and overcrowded.  Added to the stress of being underpaid, overworked, assaulted by inmates with prison made weapons, and gassed routinely, female officers are subjected to poor management practices, discrimination, and harassment.  
 
CUSA is committed to doing everything possible to support female correctional officers.  For more information on the International Association Of Women In Corrections, please visit their website:  www.iawic.org <http://www.iawic.org/>.

Newsletter:

CUSA's "On The Tier" is the newsletter for CUSA members.For more information please Click Here.

Press Releases:

Assaults:

There are no accurate statistics on the number of correctional officers assaulted by inmates. Some Department of Corrections do not keep records and others under-report. Correctional officers are routinely gassed, assaulted, injured, and sometimes killed in the line of duty.

To see a glimpse of the dangerous environment we work in behind the walls, please read the following news accounts:


Submitting Articles & Photographs for CUSA's Website and Newsletters

  • Articles Format:
    • Submit articles in Microsoft Word to E-MAIL

  • Photos Format:
    • Submit digital photos by e-mail to E-MAIL

 

Disclaimer: Any material accepted for publications is subject to editing at our sole discretion.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
When you submit an article that is copyrighted, it must be stated at the end of the article. In addition to the fact the article is copyrighted it must also be stated that is may not be copied or reproduced without written permission of the author.

 

 

Avis Rental Car Offer
All Rights Reserved - Corrections USA © 2009