Serving Others While Serving Time

In every state prison in Tennessee, you'll find a school. Its like any other regular school you'd walk into; books, desks, chalk/dry-erase boards. And like the rest of Tennessee's schools, TDOC's facility-based schools are fully accredited by the Tennessee Department of Education. Unlike traditional schools, its a little more than simple reading, writing and arithmetic - the stakes are higher in terms of what it means to pass or fail. In Part 1 of this episode, we talk to Principal of the Education Department at the Northeast Correctional Complex about the mission and strategy of TDOC's education system, and how he, a former college drop-out himself, is now working to lead men into better, more productive lives.

For a long time, corrections, like most divisions of law enforcement, was stereotypically considered to be a 'man's world.' But the women of TDOC are proving not only can women make a career out of corrections, but that they can thrive and lead in this field. We sat down with women who work in the various roles within TDOC including Correctional Officers, Probation Parole Officers, counselors, and nurses, and asked them how they felt about that stereotype, their experiences, and how they've made successful careers within the Tennessee Department of Correction.

They're serving life sentences at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville, TN. Most work for less than $1 an hour. But that hasn't stopped them from raising thousands in their efforts to help charity and various other organizations that help those in need.

"To be honest, back then it was controlled chaos." Change is said to be the one constant, and corrections is no different. The field is ever changing and evolving to the safety of officers, staff, and offenders as well as the best possible outcomes for offenders who will be released. TDOC is proud not only to embrace change but in some regards, lead the charge in the creation of our industry's best practices. East Region PIO Rob Reburn sat down with three of TDOC's Wardens to discuss the changes they've seen over the years, and how its improved conditions within TDOC's prisons for staff and offenders.

Episode 2 - Volunteering Behind Bars by TN Dept of Correction

Addiction. It's a nasty disease plaguing our state and our country. It's not biased nor does it discriminate - it can affect anyone. But how can we fight it, put an end to it? One good first step is education; fully understanding what addiction is and how it affects the human brain. In this episode, we talk with one of TDOC's Clinical Director about addiction as well as a recovering addict who shares the story of how he fell into addiction and his road to sobriety.