Corrections_Today_Spring_2026_Vol.88_No.1

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Systemwide expansion In 1991, Governor Edwin Ed wards invited me to join him in his cabinet as Secretary of Public Safety and Corrections after his election to a new term. I had served the department since 1971 — as a Correctional Officer, Training Officer, Federal Programs Manager, Planning Analyst for Prison Industries, secure Juvenile Facility Super intendent, Deputy Warden and Warden. There was a part of me that always believed that there must be a better way to do some of the things we were doing. Now we were being given the chance to effect change.

We upgraded our performance in every area of prison operation to meet nationally recognized standards. In essence, we changed the way we lived. As a result of DWCC being ac credited, all aspects of the consent decree for DWCC were vacated end ing our quarter-of-a-centuryof court supervision, on the singular condi tion that we remain accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections through the Ameri can Correctional Association. It happened because we knew we were better than our critics claimed — and we set out to prove it. We started the journey of accreditation for the entire Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections at one prison.

On the day after the inau guration, there were staggering challenges waiting for attention. Organizationally, I had simple priorities: – Empower leadership in the field to assume authority for

their areas of command and make it clear that with that authority came responsibility for results. – Make Headquarters staff understand our role was to support and enable operational units to succeed. – Revise the numerous bodies of internal policies and memos that purported to provide uni form structural guidance and replace them with one concise

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Corrections Today | Spring 2026

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