WITNESS
Gwendolyn C. Chunn is the 98th President of the American Correctional Association (ACA). Previous to becoming President of ACA, she served as Executive Director, Juvenile Justice Institute, Department of Criminal Justice at North Carolina Central University. Prior to that, she was director of the Division of Youth Services of the North Carolina Department of Human Resources from 1989 to 1999, serving under three governors. Ms. Chunn also served as an adjunct professor for the North Carolina Central University. She has spoken extensively, both nationally and internationally, on juvenile and adult issues, and is highly respected for her leadership and vision as a leader.
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STATEMENT
This nation, similar to most in the world, has inherited a punitive correctional system. Corrections advocates and reformers have played a key role in helping it to evolve to where it is today. Notwithstanding, the next level of assurances with regard to safety, humane treatment, and rehabilitation cannot be generated from within the correctional system without help. Appointed officials, the U.S. Congress, legislatures, and other decision makers must become better students with regard to their own systems' operations, how these systems are led and managed, offender needs--and especially special populations, victims' needs, reentry, and other related issues. A safe, humane, effective, efficient correctional system must be engineered over a period of time with the necessary leadership, resources, and commitment from professionals and other key decision makers to making improvements. The American Correctional Association is doing its part to achieve the results that every person in every community wants. If we are to achieve more, it will be done by partnering with advocates and others who wish to build upon the work that we are doing. They will value the results that come from quality correctional care.
Excerpted from a written statement submitted to the Commission
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Note: Some witnesses submitted documents in addition to the written statement they prepared for the hearing. In most cases, those documents are not available on the Commission's web site.
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