[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 57 (Wednesday, May 8, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H2214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Grucci). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor correctional 
officers and employees of correctional facilities across this country. 
This past weekend, correctional officers came here to Washington to 
celebrate National Correctional Officers and Employees Week. Awards 
were presented to officers whose exceptional service merited special 
recognition and wreaths were laid in memory of fallen comrades who made 
the ultimate sacrifice while on duty.
  Corrections facilities are a critical component of our criminal 
justice system. We rely on correctional facilities to do just that, 
correct the errant behavior of certain members of our society. But a 
facility comprises more than just a building. It is also made up of 
correctional officers and other correctional personnel who are all 
highly trained to work in a challenging and often dangerous 
environment. I worked for many years as a psychologist at a maximum 
security prison in Ohio, and the respect that I gained from my 
coworkers during that time is enormous.
  Correctional officers are public servants. Most of the officers I 
know give back to their communities in countless ways. Most recently I 
was struck by the sense of community exhibited by correctional officers 
in New York City. While that city was undergoing untold turmoil in 
those first 2 weeks following September 11, correctional officers 
worked 20-hour days lending their aid in the makeshift morgue and 
helping to coordinate the massive logistical effort of keeping the 
lines of communication open in Lower Manhattan. What we saw in New York 
is typical of all correctional officers, and I would urge all of my 
colleagues to recognize correctional officers and employees by joining 
me in cosponsoring H. Con. Res. 390, a bill that was introduced by the 
cochairmen of the Congressional Correctional Officers Caucus to urge 
the President to establish a National Correctional Officers and 
Employees Week so that all Americans can join us in honoring these very 
worthy individuals who contribute so much to our society.

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