BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Telegraph Staff Writer
STARKE— A lieutenant in the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division said inmates at the county lockup are a part of the community and that residents will likely run into them as they go about their daily business.
Bill Goodge told the Starke Rotary Club during its April 19 meeting that most jail inmates will eventually return to society. He added it is in the county’s best interests that corrections officials do as much as they can to help those inmates succeed.
The correction division’s leaders: Major Dawn McKinley and Lt. Beth Griffin, accompanied Goodge to the civic club’s gathering. Goodge said Capt. Dalton Diggs had a previous commitment, but Sheriff Gordon Smith was in attendance as a member of the club.
Goodge described himself to the club as a hometown boy, adding that after graduating from Bradford High School in 1981, he traveled the country in the telephone business before returning home with his California-born wife.
He called the Bradford County jail a diamond in the rough. After starting as a correctional officer in the jail, he worked his way up to corporal and then sergeant. A year and a half ago, he was promoted to lieutenant.
Goodge said the leadership at the jail typifies the sheriff’s office motto: “We Care.”
“We do care,” he said. “It’s not just a logo; it’s a belief. We live it.”
Goodge praised his supervisors, beginning with Smith, whom he said allocates enough resources to the jail so he and his co-workers can achieve their mission. Goodge added that Major McKinley sets the policies at the lockup, and Capt. Diggs makes sure those policies are implemented. He added that Lt. Griffin keeps the facility compliant with laws, regulations and best practices.
He added that the jail’s leadership rejects the prevailing public opinion of inmates that they are society’s unredeemable reprobates.
“These people are done; that’s why they’re in jail,” he said of the popular opinion of inmates. “They’re no good. They’re castaways.”
The lieutenant said many county jail inmates are arrested for minor offenses like driving with a suspended or revoked license, and many leave the facility quickly.
“You can see them tomorrow in Walmart,” he said. “They can come in today and get out tomorrow.”
He said that even though most inmates swear they will never return to jail after their release, many wind up back behind bars.
Goodge said the jail has many programs to give inmates tools to succeed after release, like Alcoholics Anonymous.
He added, however, that one of the most effective ways correctional officers help inmates is simply to sit down next to them and talk, offering life advice or just a word of encouragement.
“When you’ve got an inmate down, they think they have nothing left to live for,” he said.
He added that jail surveillance cameras have captured everyone from the sheriff to the correctional deputies sitting down with inmates, offering a listening ear.
Goodge said he frequently tells inmates that despite their present situation, their lives are not over and that with some good decisions, they have a future.
He said that he often runs into former inmates in the community who thank him for his encouragement and report that they are holding down a job and have a stable family life.
From his spot in the audience, Sheriff Smith added that he runs into former inmates at the post office, and some have paid for his meals at restaurants.
“We live with these individuals each and every day.,” he said. “There are a few people that are evil, and we still treat them as human beings.”
Two to three percent of our population is probably 80% of our work,” he said. “There are some evil, bad people that we have incarcerated, but what Lieutenant Goodge said is correct. Most people are good. They just make bad decisions, and without faith and hope, these people could go in a totally different direction.”
The sheriff added a vivid example of how former inmates can contribute to society.
He told the club that several years ago, he was fighting with a suspect along a road when a pickup pulled up, and three men hopped out to help him gain control of the suspect.
The sheriff added that after the brawl, he realized that all three of his helpers were former inmates at the jail.
