г.
Correction News
April 2009
North Carolina Department of Correction
/
www.doc.state.nc.us
/
919.716.3700
StreetSafe
Secretary co-chairs taskforce
to fight offender recidivism
Numerous public and private in¬
terests will be working together
to reduce the number of ex-of¬
fenders who commit crimes after
their release from prison.
StreetSafe, a task force cre¬
ated by Gov. Beverly Perdue,
will call on agencies, non-profits
and the business community to
develop a plan to combat recidi¬
vism and reintegrate offenders
safely into the community. The
task force will tap the strengths
of faith-based organizations,
non-profits, local and state gov¬
ernment agencies, business lead¬
ers and members of the commu¬
nity, Gov. Perdue said.
"Citizen and community
safety is a major priority in
North Carolina," she said.
"StreetSafe will protect our
communities, prevent ex-offend¬
ers from repeating crimes and
provide them with the support
they need to restart their lives."
Department of Correction
Secretary Alvin Keller will co¬
chair StreetSafe, along with At¬
torney General Roy Cooper.
The task force is a broad ap¬
proach that will produce broad
results, Secretary Keller said.
"It will take a commitment
from all of us to address the
challenges faced by ex-offend¬
ers," he said. "The work of the
StreetSafe Task Force will ben¬
efit everyone who is working to
help ex-offenders become pro¬
ductive taxpaying citizens."
Studies show that 36 percent
of ex-offenders in North Caro¬
lina are sent back to prison for
committing new crimes within
three years of their release.
StreetSafe can provide an av¬
enue for ex-offenders' safe re¬
entry into communities across
North Carolina and for devel¬
oping a network of support for
them."
Members will also create a
plan that sets policy goals for
See STREETSAFE, next
раде
DOC takes new flu seriously
Health officials take precautions
in lightofNIHl virus outbreak
Many people are finding it difficult
to take the flu seriously. Health pro¬
fessionals, including those in the De¬
partment of Correction, do not find
it difficult. To the public who the
professionals are pledged to protect,
they say, "Listen!"
The current outbreak of the novel
influenza A H IN 1 virus — mislead¬
ingly called the Swine Flu initially -
- quickly caught the attention of epi¬
demiologists and other public health
officials.
The staffs of Safety, Occupational
St Environmental Health (SOEH) and
the Division of Prisons Health Ser¬
vices have been closely watching its
development.
They have also
responded by
distributing crit¬
ical educational
documents
throughout the
department.
They say that,
while it is good
that the novel
virus has gotten
significant news
media coverage,
it is unfortunate
that the re¬
ports have also
caused public
skepticism. The flu's impact so far
has been less than that of a seasonal
outbreak of "normal" flu.
"We really must watch this H 1 N 1
Dr. Peter Morris checks a federal Website for
news about the flu virus.
virus closely," said SOEH's Dr. Pe¬
ter Morris. "Because it is new and it
is early in the outbreak, we do not
know enough about how severe it
is and how easily it can spread. We
do know it can be deadly, and most
importantly, we know that we don't
have vaccine specifically formulated
against it."
It has not caused a multitude of
widespread fatalities. However, flu
viruses are unpredictable and can
quickly mutate into more dangerous
strains.
On the other hand, evidence to
date indicates that the potential of
the H I N I virus is unlike that of the
I 9 I 8 flu pandemic that killed mil¬
lions of people worldwide.
"We are concerned," Dr. Morris
said. "But, we are not alarmed."
Dr. Morris explained that flu
pandemics usually spread in waves.
See INFLUENZA, next page
A microscopic view of
the N1H1 virus, pro¬
vided by the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Olympic recognition
In appreciation of the Department
of Correction raising $228,000 for
Special Olympics of North Caro¬
lina, the organization recently
presented a plaque in recognition
of the contribution. Keith Fishburne,
left, president of Special Olympics
of North Carolina, made the pre¬
sentation to DOC Secretary Alvin
Keller, 2nd from left. Also on hand
were Scott Peele, 3rd from left,
Division of Prisons security chief,
and Roy Forrest, vice president of
the North Carolina Law Enforce¬
ment Torch Run for Special Olympics.