Alabama Department of Corrections graduate 90 correctional officers

Published 3:41 pm Friday, December 6, 2019

In a ceremony Thursday at the Alabama Correctional Academy in Selma, the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) graduated 90 new correctional officers that will now report to assignments in 21 different correctional facilities across the state.

The officers completed an intensive six-week basic correctional officer training course before graduating and moving into the workforce.

ADOC Deputy Commissioner Dennis Stamper delivered the commencement address and told the class of new correctional officers that their jobs extend beyond an obligation to protect the safety and security of the institution, the staff, the inmates and the community.

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“You assume that role model position in the institution,” Stamper said. “It’s not just about ‘it’s time to get up, it’s time to eat, it’s time for this, it’s time for that.’ That’s the mechanics of it. The more valuable thing you offer is your insight, your dedication to the mission and your ability to make the institution safer and secure for inmates and staff who work there. We have the responsibility to take part in molding our inmates, preparing them for release… to be able to successfully transition from our institutional facility back to our community.”

ADOC has graduated 151 Basic Correctional Officers this year, bringing the total number of newly hired ADOC-certified officers to 280 over the past nine months.

Over 118 basic correctional officer applicants are expected to attend the next Alabama Corrections Training Academy in October.