Post by ACA on Jul 9, 2009 13:50:23 GMT -5
Reentry Facility Thrives
Under Inspired Leader
This year will be Michael
Lloyd’s 26th in corrections.
He has risen through the
leadership ranks, from correctional
officer to correctional counselor
to case work manager, and on
up to his current role as director of
transitional facilities and communitybased
programs for the Indiana
Department of Correction. But his title
and experience have not jaded this
corrections veteran — Lloyd continues
to seek out improved ways to
treat and manage offenders, implement
programs, build community relationships,
and develop his staff to
their maximum potential.
In 1986, Lloyd moved to Indiana
after serving three years as a correctional
officer in Springfield, Ill.,
and began working full time while
attending Indiana University – Purdue
University in Indianapolis. Since that
time, Lloyd has held numerous correctional
positions, including correctional
officer, correctional sergeant,
training officer, correctional counselor,
correctional casework manager,
deputy director of operations, and
superintendent of the Plainfield
Re-Entry Educational Facility (PREF).
PREF was established for adult
male felony offenders, with the goal
of preparing them to reenter society
as accountable citizens. The facility
is a living environment similar to a
college campus, but without all the
freedoms. Offenders must wake up
on time, report to work or school at
their assigned time, eat during the
hour assigned for meals — protocols
that are maintained in most secure
facilities. The differences with PREF
are subtle, but they become apparent
in staff and offender interactions. As
superintendent, Lloyd recruited
strong, well-tempered individuals,
who helped him operate the facility
with his own distinct vision. To
illustrate this vision, Lloyd presents a
scenario in which a staff member
encounters a resident with his shirt
untucked. The employee’s reaction
must strike the right balance between
“rough love” and enabling; don’t write
the resident up, and don’t tuck in the
shirt for him. “First, teach them to
tuck in their shirts,” Lloyd said,
because “it is possible no one ever
taught them before.”
Lloyd encourages staff to be
coaches, mentors and role models.
They treat residents with respect,
and require it in return. As superintendent,
Lloyd increased his knowledge
of staff development, and sees it
as his main responsibility to manage
and lead staff in a way that will make
them productive employees. The
positive effects of this management
style are apparent to Lloyd when he
sees his staff empowered to try new
methods to prepare offenders for
release.
The success of Plainfield is evident
in the numbers — it has the
lowest recidivism rate of any Indiana
correctional facility. Under Lloyd,
PREF and the town of Plainfield were
recently awarded the Local Government
Cooperation Award by the
Indiana Association of Cities and
Towns. Plainfield worked with the
town to repair sidewalks, and it
leased land for a youth recreational
sports park. The success is also evident
in the letters, phone calls
and e-mails Lloyd receives from
ex-offenders who completed the program
and are succeeding in the community
as a result.
As director of transitional facilities
and community-based programs,
Lloyd is responsible for overseeing
community corrections in 74 counties.
He also develops and implements
many new programs, which
include a partnership with the Indiana
Department of Transportation,
where resident offenders are given
the opportunity to work on a trial
basis while incarcerated, with the
possibility of a full-time position after
release.
Lloyd epitomizes what it means to
be a good leader through his hard
work and leadership. He instills pride
in his employees, and as a mentor
and coach, he leads by example. He
works to improve the lives of the
men and women under community
supervision in Indiana, as well as the
careers of the staff he supervises by
teaching them the skills that he has
learned throughout his experiences.
Jessica Rayborn was an intern in
ACA’s Professional Development
Department. She attends the University
of Mississippi.
Under Inspired Leader
This year will be Michael
Lloyd’s 26th in corrections.
He has risen through the
leadership ranks, from correctional
officer to correctional counselor
to case work manager, and on
up to his current role as director of
transitional facilities and communitybased
programs for the Indiana
Department of Correction. But his title
and experience have not jaded this
corrections veteran — Lloyd continues
to seek out improved ways to
treat and manage offenders, implement
programs, build community relationships,
and develop his staff to
their maximum potential.
In 1986, Lloyd moved to Indiana
after serving three years as a correctional
officer in Springfield, Ill.,
and began working full time while
attending Indiana University – Purdue
University in Indianapolis. Since that
time, Lloyd has held numerous correctional
positions, including correctional
officer, correctional sergeant,
training officer, correctional counselor,
correctional casework manager,
deputy director of operations, and
superintendent of the Plainfield
Re-Entry Educational Facility (PREF).
PREF was established for adult
male felony offenders, with the goal
of preparing them to reenter society
as accountable citizens. The facility
is a living environment similar to a
college campus, but without all the
freedoms. Offenders must wake up
on time, report to work or school at
their assigned time, eat during the
hour assigned for meals — protocols
that are maintained in most secure
facilities. The differences with PREF
are subtle, but they become apparent
in staff and offender interactions. As
superintendent, Lloyd recruited
strong, well-tempered individuals,
who helped him operate the facility
with his own distinct vision. To
illustrate this vision, Lloyd presents a
scenario in which a staff member
encounters a resident with his shirt
untucked. The employee’s reaction
must strike the right balance between
“rough love” and enabling; don’t write
the resident up, and don’t tuck in the
shirt for him. “First, teach them to
tuck in their shirts,” Lloyd said,
because “it is possible no one ever
taught them before.”
Lloyd encourages staff to be
coaches, mentors and role models.
They treat residents with respect,
and require it in return. As superintendent,
Lloyd increased his knowledge
of staff development, and sees it
as his main responsibility to manage
and lead staff in a way that will make
them productive employees. The
positive effects of this management
style are apparent to Lloyd when he
sees his staff empowered to try new
methods to prepare offenders for
release.
The success of Plainfield is evident
in the numbers — it has the
lowest recidivism rate of any Indiana
correctional facility. Under Lloyd,
PREF and the town of Plainfield were
recently awarded the Local Government
Cooperation Award by the
Indiana Association of Cities and
Towns. Plainfield worked with the
town to repair sidewalks, and it
leased land for a youth recreational
sports park. The success is also evident
in the letters, phone calls
and e-mails Lloyd receives from
ex-offenders who completed the program
and are succeeding in the community
as a result.
As director of transitional facilities
and community-based programs,
Lloyd is responsible for overseeing
community corrections in 74 counties.
He also develops and implements
many new programs, which
include a partnership with the Indiana
Department of Transportation,
where resident offenders are given
the opportunity to work on a trial
basis while incarcerated, with the
possibility of a full-time position after
release.
Lloyd epitomizes what it means to
be a good leader through his hard
work and leadership. He instills pride
in his employees, and as a mentor
and coach, he leads by example. He
works to improve the lives of the
men and women under community
supervision in Indiana, as well as the
careers of the staff he supervises by
teaching them the skills that he has
learned throughout his experiences.
Jessica Rayborn was an intern in
ACA’s Professional Development
Department. She attends the University
of Mississippi.