Facility Uses Canines to Help Children Achieve Reading Success
“Our facility partnered with a reading program at Patronis Elementary School on Panama City Beach, in which dogs in training with Canine Companions for Independence are brought to the school. Students having difficulty reading in front of groups of people read to the dogs in a one-on-one setting instead. We saw this as a unique educational opportunity, and we are pleased to invest in the children of our community by promoting activities that grow them both personally and intellectually.”
—Warden Bill Spivey
Bay Correctional Facility (Panama City, FL)
Community Relations Committees
We Relate With Our Community Through Our Commitment
CCA believes that to be successful, we must be accountable to our clients, our staff, the offenders in our care, and the communities in which we operate. We not only work in your local community, but we very importantly also live in your local community. And if you don’t personally work in our community, you likely will have a relative, friend, church or social peer who does. We are your neighbor. And neighbors make commitments to keep in touch and talk in an honest, open way.
Our commitment to accountability is illustrated through the Community Relations Committees that exist at all of our facilities. These committees are made up of local members of the community – elected officials, business leaders, members of the media, nearby residents, etc. – and meet at least quarterly at our correctional centers to discuss facility operations, interaction with the surrounding community, security, and other timely topics. Our prepared staff makes formal presentations on various offender education or substance abuse treatment programs. Our warden gives a summary of the services we are providing to the community through our volunteer efforts. We invite guest speakers to talk with the group about fostering strong relationships together. Our security team discusses new technologies. The interaction between facility staff and community participants ensures a constant flow of communication in both directions and gives the community a better understanding of daily life at the facility.