WHEREAS, Correctional Officers are trained law enforcement professionals dedicated to maintaining safe and secure correctional facilities and ensuring public safety; and
WHEREAS, the duties of Correctional Officers include the supervision, care, and rehabilitation of offenders who have been convicted of a crime and have been sentenced to serve time in a local jail, state correctional facility, halfway house, or through electronic monitoring; and
WHEREAS, Alaska’s correctional staff support the mission of the Department of Corrections by providing secure confinement, reformative programs, and a process of supervised community reintegration, thereby helping reduce recidivism; and
WHEREAS, Correctional Officers face the challenges of their work with diligence and determination, and continue to meet the high standards set by their profession even though the environment in which they provide their knowledge and skills is one that can pose great potential risk to their personal safety; and
WHEREAS, on May 5, 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5187 that created National Correctional Officers Week and declared that, “the professionalism, dedication, and courage exhibited by these officers throughout the performance of these demanding and often conflicting roles deserve our utmost respect”; and
WHEREAS, correctional staff work tirelessly to bring hope to offenders through education, vocational training, counseling, and treatment for the betterment of our society.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim May 5 – 11, 2024 as:
Correctional Officers Week
in Alaska and encourage all Alaskans to honor these dedicated public servants who strive to maintain a safe working and living environment in correctional facilities around the State.
Dated: May 5, 2024
