18 January 2012Dear SirRe Gerald L Bean’s submissions:Thank you very much for your submission, my brother. I appreciate your continued interest in Corrections. Although you have not requested a response from me, perhaps I can offer a few remarks, which I hope are helpful:1. Inmates’ Clothing. This is very definitely an area we are currently looking at in order to reduce costs. Also, we are looking to change legislation (which currently restricts what we can and cannot do in this realm) to allow us to implement a system of “co-pay” for other expenses including medical costs, and other such items . This is a work in progress.2. Sneakers.The above applies to these items as well.3. Vocational Officer: This post is actually a BPSU post and not a POA post. Whilst I respect your opinion, I do not share your sentiment that the post is overrated and unnecessary, especially in these times when we are challenged with more and more inmates having academic and vocational difficulties. However, I do accept that there might be scope in the future to review this position in the context of others with a view to perhaps combining some functions with other positions. Also, I would be very reluctant to use another uniformed officer to perform non-related custodial functions.4. Officers Training: In the present climate of a hiring freeze, your point about having three senior officers in the Training Department is a valid one. Coincidentally, we have moved two of those officers back to the facilities until such time as the demands of that department return to previous levels. As a point of interest, our training department has developed in recent years to not only providing intensive training for recruits but, also are heavily involved in organising and facilitating “in-house” training for staff, which we conduct in all facilities on a monthly basis. This is part of the ongoing goal of keeping our staff well-trained and equipped in today’s Corrections world. You will know that ongoing training for staff is critical to any organisation’s effectiveness and I am pleased to say that we have placed a great deal of emphasis on this in the last few years and this has already borne good fruit.5. Rehiring of retired officers: You will know that the legislation was changed a few years ago to allow officers to work beyond their previous retirement age of 55. This was done for two major reasons:4To retain valuable knowledge and experience to pass on to younger officers; and4 To reduce the costs of recruitment.I hasten to add that not every officer who retires is automatically rehired, and we have definitely declined a few. They must apply for an extension or rehire and they must undergo a medical exam to prove that they are fit to carry out the duties of a Prison Officer. Thirdly, they are appraised on their performance, which forms a part of the decision to approve or decline the request for rehiring. Also, when officers are extended or rehired, they are very definitely put back into the “trenches” and in contact with inmates. In fact, as part of their contract they understand and agree that they can be posted anywhere, including doing all the different shifts, as well as Night Patrol. Moreover, they are extended on a year-to-year basis and are appraised before further extensions.6. Annual Leave and Sick Leave: Again you are spot on and I assure you that we robustly monitor vacation and sick leave and we certainly send those officers who have substantial sick leave to the Medical Review Board. We recognise that the management of leave is vital to effective operations and we constantly review, by facility managers and HQ, outstanding allocations.7. Teachers/Classes: We have recently reviewed the cost of providing these and have adjusted a few classes to attain cost-savings. We are however, mindful that we have to ensure that adequate classes are available in order to keep inmates as productive as possible and to provide them with skills they can use once they return to society. Having said that, we also constantly evaluate classes for relevance. For example, we only offer sewing classes for the females at Co-Ed.8. Farming: You will be aware that we have a highly skilled officer who runs the gardens at the Prison Farm. He is ably assisted by inmates and they produce various vegetables for consumption. Recently, we acquired the services of a highly trained farmer who started a farming programme at the Farm, wherein he teaches inmates all about horticulture and production. We are also looking seriously at resuming animal husbandry at the Farm, possibly starting with chickens, then later adding goats (for milk and meat). In fact, I tasked an officer recently with acquiring information on how we can get a chicken farm going in 2012, something I am confident will come to fruition. Another point I wish to make is that we are actively looking to extend the farming programme to Westgate, if funding allows, in order to get inmates involved even sooner in this field pun intended! Additionally, these farming programmes will offer certification for inmates.As always, I welcome your input and respect your opinions. I hasten to add that we are very mindful of the cost of doing business in Corrections and are constantly seeking, and implementing, ways to only save the taxpayer money while still providing hope and redemption to those in our care. Yours,LT COL EDWARD LAMB, ED, TACSCCommissioner –of Corrections