New correctional officers graduate from MATC

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) --- Building safer communities and improving post-release outcomes is the oath that dozens of new correctional officers from Milwaukee Area Technical College took on Friday as they graduated.

The new officers will work at correctional facilities across Southeastern Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee County Reintegration Center (CRC), formally known as the House of Correction.

"The individuals sent to our facility usually have short term sentences, a year or less, and our focus is primarily on rehabilitation," said Shantell Jewell, CRC Superintendent.

Graduates told CBS 58 that a lot of training was focused on addressing root causes of what brought a person into contact with law enforcement in the first place. "When they come out, we want them to be better and not just saying that but really acting on that," said Porshia Jackson.

The graduates completed a five-week training program with mandated testing by the state. "They taught me so much, so I feel like I'm going to go in there with the knowledge to do what needs to be done," said Breanna Smith.

Officials at MATC say the jailer training academy was the first of its kind in the state. "My hope for the future of the program is that we continue to graduate corrections officers, that the respect for the profession will continue to grow and that we'll see a turnaround in the people that are coming out of the institution because they're being treated more humanely," said Janell Jones.