Sheriff’s lieutenant graduates from jail leadership academy
Garland County sheriff’s Lt. Donald Ansley was among 37 jail professionals who recently graduated from the National Jail Leadership Command Academy, hosted by Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
A collaborative effort of the American Jail Association and the Correctional Management Institute of Texas, the NJLCA provides jail professionals with six days of training focused on leadership, ethics and inmate relations.
Ansley was the third representative from the Garland County Sheriff’s Department and the 15th from Arkansas to complete the course.
Sheriff Mike McCormick said very few schools in the U.S. offer leadership training that is directly tied into corrections,
which heightens the importance of the opportunity for training.
“This training helps to maintain the high level of professionalism that we strive to achieve at the detention center,” he said.
McCormick said the Garland County Detention Center practices the philosophy of direct supervision, which allows inmates to be rewarded with privileges based on positive behavior and observance of the rules.
“A lot of progressive counties are using direct supervision, it’s a growing trend,” he said. “This type of training is so much more significant, because of the focused supervision level we offer at the detention center.”
Ansley is already a certified jail officer and his next goal is to attain a certification as a certified jail manager through the American Jail Association which McCormick said is coveted due to the number of hours dedicated to obtaining it.
“There are very few people in Arkansas who have achieved that level of training and expertise,” he said. “Only two people have achieved it and they’re both in our department.”
Ansley, who has over 24 years experience in corrections including 16 with the GCSD and eight with the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, recently obtained an associate degree in Criminal Justice from National Park College and says he plans to finish with a bachelor’s from the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith.
“The class repeatedly reminded us that we are legacy leavers,” he said. “I hope that my legacy is one that listened and wasn’t afraid to share the wisdom I have in corrections.”
Ansley said he’s watched his legacy begin to unfold, as many of his employees are now supervisors. He said that employee retention was a topic of focus and he hopes employees can find harmony despite generational differences.
“The last 24 years have been a roller coaster, but we all hope that the next day is bigger and better. We learn to accept the days as they come,” he said.
The goal of the NJLCA is to assist in succession preparation and development of leadership skills for successful transitioning into senior leadership positions within jails, according to a news release.
Topics covered include leadership skills, human resources, accountability, emerging issues, communication, ethics, collaboration, discipline, finance and budgeting, statistics, and managing change.
AJA is a national nonprofit, educational organization representing more than 70,000 jail professionals and 3,200-plus facilities, that focuses exclusively on issues affecting today’s jail professional, the release said. CMIT operates out of the George J. Beto Criminal Justice Center, within the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
Established in 1994, CMIT provides training and leadership development opportunities to the corrections professionals within Arkansas and across the country.