In Part I of this video series, corrections leadership expresses gratitude for their hardworking, professional, and caring staff. In Part II, corrections leadership explains how their staff are the strong foundation that supports their facilities.

Jerry Rayford, Warden, Bradshaw State Jail (Henderson, TX):

“I’m a warden. And that means absolutely nothing, really. The prison is not run by me. I can put the best things in place, but if the staff that are there, if they don’t support it, if they don’t do those daily things every day that make us successful, make us effective, make programs work – without them, we fail.”

Alex Sanchez, Facility Director, IAH Detention Facility (Livingston, TX):

“My staff have done an exceptional job since day one, since I started there. I’m in charge of an [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] I.C.E. facility, so we go through audits on a regular basis, probably almost every month. It’s very hard, it’s very difficult to get an audit with zero findings. And in October, the three years that I’ve been there, close to every audit has been close to perfect. So, that’s just a testimony to the kind of work that my staff do at the facility.”

Bernadette Rodriguez, Warden, East Texas Treatment Facility (Henderson, TX) and former Warden, Willacy County State Jail (Raymondville, TX):

“For all the staff at the Willacy County State Jail, you all are the heartbeat of the facility. You guys do all the hard work. You are passionate about your job, you’re caring. You do a great job in carrying out the [facility’s] mission.”

Hector Rios, Warden, Otero County Prison Facility (Chaparral, NM):

“The staff are the ones that are buying into this, they’re supporting the administration. They’re supporting the mission, so I appreciate them. I tell them that I appreciate them. I appreciate them more than they’ll ever know.”

Tom Watson, Warden, North Central Correctional Complex (Marion, OH):

“I think anybody that works in a correctional job, whether you’re the warden, whether or not you are a doctor, a psychologist, a president of the company. If you work for that company, you should thank a correctional officer or a line staff. They’re the ones that run a prison at night. They’re the ones that run it on a weekend. We run a 24/7 operation. They’re the ones who kiss their family goodbye on Christmas morning and come to work and run a facility.”

Watch Part III here.