The Delaware Department of Corrections last week held a graduation ceremony commemorating the achievement for 30 employees who completed its Correctional Employee Initial Training Program. There were over 200 family members, friends, and state officials in attendance to share the celebration for the graduates which included 26 Correctional Officers as well as two Correctional Counselors, one Correctional Officer Maintenance Trades Mechanic, and one Education Administrator. The 30 graduates will be assigned to various prison facilities throughout Delaware which collectively house approximately six thousand inmates.
Delaware First Lady Carla Markell provided the keynote speech while graduate and newly appointed Correctional Officer candidate John Faulkner, Jr. was chosen by his classmates to give a speech on behalf of his fellow graduates. Markell’s speech covered the plethora of opportunities that lay ahead for the graduates in the way of helping to improve the lives of those with whom they will be interacting on a daily basis within the correctional system in the state of Delaware. Robert Coupe, Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Corrections, also addressed those in attendance and spoke of the graduating class in terms of its individual and collective capacity and willingness to take on the challenging role of a corrections officer and accept the demands that are part of such a career path.
Coupe also was adamant about praising the family members of the graduates for the sacrifices they have had to make – and will undoubtedly continue to make – in support of the careers of their loved ones. The choice to pursue a career in public service, Coupe stated, means that each of the graduates have “dedicated yourself to making an impact on the lives of others” and that the Department of Corrections is grateful that they chose the Delaware DOC to “fulfill your life of service.”
Each of the grads completed an intensive nine-week training regimen that included both classroom as well as hands-on field training, all of which was comprised of disciplines such as weapons familiarization, inmate supervision, defensive tactics, interpersonal communication, CPR and basic First-Aid, and report writing.