Post by Basher on Oct 31, 2009 5:37:07 GMT -5
New Wabash Valley Correctional Facilty chief has Greene County ties
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle has a new superintendent, who has close, long-standing ties to Greene County.
Indiana Department of Correction Commissioner Edwin Buss announced in mid-October the promotion of James Baysinger to the head administrative job at the Sullivan County-based male adult prison.
He replaces Bruce Lemmon, who had been serving the dual role of superintendent at both Wabash Valley and the Putnamville Correctional Facility.
The newly named superintendent retired April 15 as Command Sergeant/Major with the 76th Brigade of the Indiana National Guard after more than 24 years of service, beginning as a U.S. Marine.
A former member of the Indiana National Guard Alpha Company, Task Force 1-151 -- The Avengers based in Linton -- Baysinger served two tours of duty in Iraq.
He served a third tour as the 76th Brigade's Rear Detachment Command Sergeant Major for the Linton unit's deployment that ended last November.
"I've been in Alpha Company for about 20 years," he recalled.
The new prison chief credited his military leadership training as having a major role in his success in the state prison system.
"The leadership schools that I went to in the military greatly improved my ability to lead and supervise individuals. They (the military) give you a lot of training in small group leadership and running an organization and meeting time constraints and working in difficult, stressful environment and it all directly correlates with working inside a facility -- a prison," he explained.
Baysinger, an 18-year DOC employee, previously served as Assistant Superintendent of Operations at the maximum-security facility.
The rural Sullivan County resident moved up the ranks from a correctional officer to the rank of Major before being promoted to other leadership roles.
The new superintendent said he is excited about his new job and noted that he's been busy and getting settled into a routine.
Baysinger previously served as the WVCF Emergency Squad Commander for seven years. He has also been the facility Training Coordinator.
The superintendent said one of his biggest challenges in his new job is to help the facility to be fiscally prudent.
"Obviously, Indiana is doing a lot more things to be fiscally responsible with the current budget crisis, so trying to run a facility and still be a good steward of the taxpayer dollars is not necessarily a challenge, but it's an important thing that we do. I want to make sure we spend our money wisely and still have a safe place for our staff to work and for our neighbors in the community," he stated.
Looking ahead, Baysinger said one of his immediate goals is to fill several vacant correctional officer positions.
"We're working towards that. We have hired 16 people in the last couple of months," he stated.
The superintendent also said he wants to work closely with the staff to "adjust the culture" of the employees.
"Prisons are a difficult place to work and I want my staff to enjoy their job and adjust their culture to where they come to work and are happy to be there," he stressed.
A native of Fort Branch, Baysinger is a 1985 graduate of Gibson Southern High School.
He joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, about two weeks after his graduation.
Baysinger lives near Fairbanks with his wife, Shayne. The couple has three sons and two daughters.
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, which opened in 1992, is a state minimum/maximum security male facility with an average daily offender population of nearly 2,100.
Employment at the facility numbers 646, with 152 residing in Greene County.
The 532-acre state prison is best known for its super-maximum Secured Housing Unit (SHU) that has been featured on several national television programs, including a National Geographic Channel six-part series "America's Hardest Prisons"; the MSNBC series "Lockup: Extended Stay"; and a mini series on The Discovery Channel "Super Max".
Baysinger said the correctional facility has developed a successful methamphetmine treatment program that is being transited to the Putnamville facility.
In the next few months the new prison head is hoping that he can work with judges in 13 area counties -- including Greene, Sullivan and Knox counties -- in a program called "Incarceration with a Purpose."
"We want to bring Community Corrections officials in those counties into our advisory group so that we can better assist our offenders outside the prison and help their transition into the communities. If I have to take an offender inside the facility, I want to release him better able to be a productive member of society because he's going to be living next door to you and me," Baysinger said. "We want him to have all of the tools so he can be successful and get him off drugs and get him some job experience."
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle has a new superintendent, who has close, long-standing ties to Greene County.
Indiana Department of Correction Commissioner Edwin Buss announced in mid-October the promotion of James Baysinger to the head administrative job at the Sullivan County-based male adult prison.
He replaces Bruce Lemmon, who had been serving the dual role of superintendent at both Wabash Valley and the Putnamville Correctional Facility.
The newly named superintendent retired April 15 as Command Sergeant/Major with the 76th Brigade of the Indiana National Guard after more than 24 years of service, beginning as a U.S. Marine.
A former member of the Indiana National Guard Alpha Company, Task Force 1-151 -- The Avengers based in Linton -- Baysinger served two tours of duty in Iraq.
He served a third tour as the 76th Brigade's Rear Detachment Command Sergeant Major for the Linton unit's deployment that ended last November.
"I've been in Alpha Company for about 20 years," he recalled.
The new prison chief credited his military leadership training as having a major role in his success in the state prison system.
"The leadership schools that I went to in the military greatly improved my ability to lead and supervise individuals. They (the military) give you a lot of training in small group leadership and running an organization and meeting time constraints and working in difficult, stressful environment and it all directly correlates with working inside a facility -- a prison," he explained.
Baysinger, an 18-year DOC employee, previously served as Assistant Superintendent of Operations at the maximum-security facility.
The rural Sullivan County resident moved up the ranks from a correctional officer to the rank of Major before being promoted to other leadership roles.
The new superintendent said he is excited about his new job and noted that he's been busy and getting settled into a routine.
Baysinger previously served as the WVCF Emergency Squad Commander for seven years. He has also been the facility Training Coordinator.
The superintendent said one of his biggest challenges in his new job is to help the facility to be fiscally prudent.
"Obviously, Indiana is doing a lot more things to be fiscally responsible with the current budget crisis, so trying to run a facility and still be a good steward of the taxpayer dollars is not necessarily a challenge, but it's an important thing that we do. I want to make sure we spend our money wisely and still have a safe place for our staff to work and for our neighbors in the community," he stated.
Looking ahead, Baysinger said one of his immediate goals is to fill several vacant correctional officer positions.
"We're working towards that. We have hired 16 people in the last couple of months," he stated.
The superintendent also said he wants to work closely with the staff to "adjust the culture" of the employees.
"Prisons are a difficult place to work and I want my staff to enjoy their job and adjust their culture to where they come to work and are happy to be there," he stressed.
A native of Fort Branch, Baysinger is a 1985 graduate of Gibson Southern High School.
He joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, about two weeks after his graduation.
Baysinger lives near Fairbanks with his wife, Shayne. The couple has three sons and two daughters.
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, which opened in 1992, is a state minimum/maximum security male facility with an average daily offender population of nearly 2,100.
Employment at the facility numbers 646, with 152 residing in Greene County.
The 532-acre state prison is best known for its super-maximum Secured Housing Unit (SHU) that has been featured on several national television programs, including a National Geographic Channel six-part series "America's Hardest Prisons"; the MSNBC series "Lockup: Extended Stay"; and a mini series on The Discovery Channel "Super Max".
Baysinger said the correctional facility has developed a successful methamphetmine treatment program that is being transited to the Putnamville facility.
In the next few months the new prison head is hoping that he can work with judges in 13 area counties -- including Greene, Sullivan and Knox counties -- in a program called "Incarceration with a Purpose."
"We want to bring Community Corrections officials in those counties into our advisory group so that we can better assist our offenders outside the prison and help their transition into the communities. If I have to take an offender inside the facility, I want to release him better able to be a productive member of society because he's going to be living next door to you and me," Baysinger said. "We want him to have all of the tools so he can be successful and get him off drugs and get him some job experience."