“Working here has absolutely made me a better person,” says Kelly Dodson.

“The culture here is very diverse. Everyone is very caring,” adds Joann Flowers. And Shirley Wilson says, “I do enjoy being here at Marshall County. This is a great facility, it is.”

These three staff members are standouts at the Marshall County Correctional Facility in Holly Springs. Shirley Wilson is a case manager, as is Kelly Dodson. Joann Flowers is the secretary to the deputy warden of programs.

In the eyes of Warden Jesse Williams, these three personify all of the dedicated staff at Marshall County.

“These folks just go over and beyond,” he says. “Every day they’re smiling, which is tough to do, because life happens for everybody. But they come in with a positive attitude. They come in with the attitude to serve. And that just blesses me, as it blesses the staff and the offenders at this facility. And it’s indicative of what we see throughout this facility.”

“The culture here is very diverse,” says Joann. “Everyone is very caring, the warden, he’s an awesome boss. We couldn’t have asked for a greater warden than he is, because he loves everybody.”

“The higher administration,” agrees Kelly, “they’re always there to help us if we have questions, to further us in our careers, and also our education. They teach us things they know, that they experienced in their careers.”

“The people of the facility? I love the staff,” Shirley says. “I love working with them. I love helping them. I love the way we interact together, the culture here.”

“I’ve met a lot of different people,” explains Joann. “Different personalities, different backgrounds. But at the end of the day, my main goal is to treat everybody the same, is to make sure we all clocked out the way we clocked in, and that’s safely. We go home safely to our families.”

“It’s been a very humbling experience working here,” Kelly says. “Working here has absolutely made me a better person. It’s made me see the world for what it is. And just because you are incarcerated, it doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person, you just made a choice, and you learn from it and you grow from it. I’ve enjoyed being a part of helping these guys better themselves.”

“Some of the guys, when they first come in?” says Shirley. “They are unsure, or kind of standoffish, and just reluctant to get into some of the classes to help them. But I reassure them and make sure that they’re getting in the classes to help them. So, I think I’m making a difference.”

“We are a big family,” Kelly points out. “It’s pretty diverse; everybody’s from different aspects of life, but we’ve all come together in our own unique way and made each other family members.”

“Everybody works well together,” agrees Shirley. “Everybody works to help the offender, so that’s one thing about this facility: Everybody helps everybody around here.”

Joann Flowers sums up her feelings.

“It’s been awesome,” she says. “It’s just been an awesome journey here at Marshall County.”