(TJJD’s Cris Burton was invited to present the Pairing Achievement With Service program at the American Correctional Association at the organization’s August 2016 meeting in Boston. The following is his report on the presentation.)
"The 146th National Congress of the American Correctional Association has accepted your proposal."
If you would have told me this when Holli Fenton and I started PAWS in 2010, I would have said you were not playing with a full deck. But, in 2016, this is now a reality. The chance to talk about PAWS on a national stage and to colleagues in the field of corrections was an honor and somewhat overwhelming. When I think about what it took to get here, it is and continues to be an incredible journey. The ACA conference in Boston was certainly a pinnacle experience. One highlight of the conference was the opening Keynote from Governor Charlie Baker and guest speaker journalist David Gergen. Both had insightful comments on the corrections industry and on the current political atmosphere.
The PAWS workshop, "Canine Programs in Juvenile Justice," was well received. There was a wide range of attendees from counselors and social workers to wardens. All had some familiarity with canine programs and the wardens, in particular, from Alabama and Georgia, were already running adult canine programs. Many had questions about juveniles working with dogs. Some of the comments ranged from, "Everyone should attend this presentation," to "We need more presentations on Juvenile Justice." Everyone in attendance seemed to agree that the PAWS program is unique in that PAWS has an intentional therapeutic design, where other canine programs tend to concentrate on the outcomes of the dogs, especially in the adult programs.
As the journey continues, there are too many to name for the success. Much, if not most, of the credit has to go to Holli Fenton and the incredible staff at Ron Jackson that have hung in there over the last six years and have made PAWS the success it is today. Also, Deidre Reece and the staff who are just getting started at Gainesville are doing a great job continuing the PAWS legacy.
Look for PAWS at the upcoming Texas Correctional Association (TCA) Conference December 1-2, 2016 in Round Rock and at the Counsel for Juvenile Corrections Administrators (CJCA) in association with the ACA Winter Conference in San Antonio, January 22, 2017.