The Thanksgiving Issue: it’s all about you!
O.H. Close Counselor earns a high honor
Medal of Valor Silver Star recipient YCC Raquel Lucca of O.H. Close with Superintendent Linda Bridges at the 2019 ceremonies held in September. Raquel was honored for acts of bravery under extraordinary circumstances. Raquel stopped an attack on a fellow staff counselor, possibly saving his life. We’re honored to work with colleagues like Raquel. Click on these links for more on the Medal of Valor ceremonies and winners, including videos and photo galleries.
Additional kudos to Distinguished Service Medal winner Instructional Engineer Sally Morgan and Correctional Food Manager Jeff Black, who was named DJJ Professional of the year. Headquarters staff Liliana Rivera, Maria Hudson and Heather Bowlds also won Distinguished Service Medals for their work on the Ventura Fire Camp and the Women Working in Corrections and Juvenile Justice Conference.
HQ unveils an employee of the month
Rosemary Carrillo of the Facilities Unit is headquarters’ first Employee of the Month. Rosemary was honored for the month of November, citing her dependability, focus, pride and accuracy. “Her knowledge and expertise of technical and analytical methods is outstanding and she is always willing to assist and provide her expertise to improve the processes,” said Director Heather Bowlds, who presented the award at an all staff meeting. Rosemary iced the cake, announcing her pending engagement of marriage! Congratulations twice, Rosemary!
Hector Barrios rocks more than Monster drinks at VYCF.
Youth Correctional Counselor Hector Barrios is known as “the go to guy” for both staff and youth at Ventura Youth Correctional Facility. Known as a team player, his dynamism and initiative make him a favorite of all. A recent graduate of CSU Sacramento in Criminal Justice, he’s devoted to the goal of helping young people change their lives. Stingers up, Hornet!
Rapport, and so much more
Youth Correctional Counselor Jean Reyes has been recognized as Employee of the Month at Chad. YCC Reyes is known throughout the facility for his professional diligence combined with rapport with youth that has made Tuolumne Hall a safe and supportive environment. Counselor Reyes supports both peers and youth, and is considered “a team player who consistently takes on multiple tasks, and other duties as assigned,” said Superintendent Linda Bridges. Congrats, Jean!
Deborah Coe is quite the pro
Deborah Coe, O.H. Close’s Use of Force Coordinator, is the Employee of the Month for November, 2019. Deborah is described as “an extremely competent employee who meets all deadlines and objectives, while maintaining a positive attitude and treating both staff and youth with professional courtesy.” According to Superintendent Linda Bridges, “she is a tremendous asset to the department and we have been fortunate to work with her.” Congratulations, Deborah!
Turkey drive nets dozens of holiday birds
Division of Juvenile Justice headquarters staff donated more than 50 turkeys for needy families in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. According to research analyst Nic Hatfield, who organized the drive, the final count was 53 birds equaling more than 764 pounds of meat. Staff delivered the fresh and frozen birds to the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services—who will in turn distribute to needy families this Thanksgiving. Ever the data analyst, Hatfield noted that with 60 DJJ headquarters staff, the haul represented an 88.3% participation rate, which he hopes will continue and improve as the State Employees Holiday Food Drive goes on through December.
Drum(stick) roll, please….
Caption contest winner!
Thanks for your suggestions on this photo captured right outside our Elk Grove headquarters by Earl Lew. We received ten entries, all of them funny and office-appropriate! And the winner is…
“On my gravy train to Freedom!”
Congratulations to Training Officer Sara Angeles!
DJJ Transition web site and FAQS page launched
We’ve been logging your questions asked at a series of town hall meetings and via our dedicated transition email address, djjtransition@cdcr.ca.gov.
The most popular questions have been posted on a site available to DJJ employees who are logged on to the network. Bookmark https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/djj-realignment/. These sites will be the official place for transition information impacting employees.
Here is your Question of the Week:
Will I have input into the development of the new Department?
Yes. We plan on using your expertise and input to collect best practices to create a Department that provides trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate services that supports a youth’s return to their community, prevents them from entering the adult system, and further enhances public safety. This input will be especially helpful in creating curriculum for our independent training institute that will train staff to further YCR’s rehabilitative mission.
We plan to tap our employee’s experience and expertise in upcoming subject matter work groups. For example, sworn personnel have recently been surveyed on their job duties for CPOST. This information will be invaluable as we create future policies and duty statements that reflect our workplaces.