Commemoration Observed by Community Leaders, Elected
Officials, Representatives of Law Enforcement
By Roscoe Barnes III
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Wilkinson County
Correctional Facility (WCCF) recently celebrated Management & Training
Corporation’s (MTC) 5-year anniversary as operator of the Woodville facility.
From left: Deputy Warden of Operations Gabriel Walker, Warden Jody Bradley,
Deputy Warden of Programs Tonya Toomey, and Warden Frank Shaw of East
Mississippi Correctional Facility (EMCF) in Meridian. Shaw was WCCF warden when
MTC took over the facility in 2013. Bradley became warden of WCCF in 2015.
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WOODVILLE, Miss. -- Wilkinson County Correctional
Facility (WCCF) held a special luncheon recently to celebrate Management &
Training Corporation’s (MTC) 5-year anniversary as operator of the Woodville
facility.
Monique Alexander, administrative assistant, organized
the event which took place on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, in the Visitation Room of
WCCF. More than 80 people attended, including 30 guests and the 50 staff
members who were honored for their five years of service.
Local community leaders and elected officials joined in
the commemoration. Chief Jesse Stewart of the Woodville Police Department
participated, as did Sheriff Travis Patten, who came with several deputies and
officers from the Adams County Sheriff Office in Natchez.
Woodville Mayor Keshia Stewart Ford and Circuit Clerk J.
Lynn Delaney also took part in the celebration, along with the Rev. James and
Louise Hardy.
“This is a celebration of each other” Warden Jody Bradley
said of WCCF staff. “Nothing’s more righteous in our business than taking care
of each other.”
Bradley has served as WCCF warden since 2015. He took
over after Warden Frank Shaw, who now serves at East Mississippi Correctional
Facility (EMCF) in Meridian. EMCF is also managed by MTC.
Shaw became the warden of WCCF on July 1, 2013, when the
management of the facility transitioned from Corrections Corporation of America
(CCA) to MTC. Shaw returned to WCCF for the anniversary.
“Woodville is a very welcoming community and a good place
to live,” he said as he reminisced on his time in Wilkinson County. “This is a
good facility. You do what you can to provide important services and meet the
needs of the offenders.”
When MTC took over, its goal was to give the offenders
opportunities to be educated and attend programs “so we could help them turn
their lives around,” Shaw said.
“I had amazing people who worked with me and it made all
the difference in the world,” he explained. “I thank you for making my first
two years here incredible.”
Larry Lee, contract monitor for the Mississippi
Department of Corrections (MDOC), congratulated WCCF on behalf of the state. “I
was here when MTC came,” he said. “It was interesting to see the transition
take place. It’s an awesome pleasure to take part in this event today.”
Bradley, who has more than 30 years of experience in
corrections, served as warden of WCCF shortly after it opened in 1998. He said
the facility is continuing to make progress as it works to change lives for the
better.
The facility is seeing a drastic reduction in the number
of “uses of force,” he said. It is seeing a growing number of GED graduates and
proud achievements in other areas as well, he said.
WCCF is a 1,000 bed facility located at 2999 U.S. Highway
61 North in Woodville, in southwest Mississippi. Its managing company, MTC, was
founded in 1981. MTC is a privately-held company headquartered in Centerville,
Utah.
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Representatives of law enforcement in Woodville and
Natchez joined in the celebration of MTC/WCCF’s 5-year anniversary. Pictured
from left: Sheriff Travis Patten, who came with several deputies and officers
from the Adams County Sheriff Office in Natchez; Warden Jody Bradley; and Chief
Jesse Stewart of the Woodville Police Department.
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ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is a writer, chaplain, historian, and former
newspaper reporter. He is the author of more than a dozen books and Gospel
tracts. For more information about his work and history, see his Personal
Profile here or visit his website: http://www.roscoebarnes.net.
Connect with him on Twitter (@roscoebarnes3) or by email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com.
