DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONS

 RAYBURN CORRECTIONAL CENTER

MISSION STATEMENT

 The mission of Rayburn Correctional Center is to provide for the custody, control, care and treatment of each offender through compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and procedures.  Emphasis is placed on the implementation of programs that provide a public service and those designed to reintegrate the offender into society while ensuring the safety of the public.

 In order to maintain credibility with the public; obtain the maximum benefit from our resources; promote ongoing staff development; and encourage better communication within the institution, other agencies, and the community, RCC will:

 

·         Provide a secure facility;

·         Provide staff and offenders with a safe work and living environment;

·         Provide appropriate medical care to the offender population;

·         Provide the necessities of life to the offender population;

·         Provide the offender population with programs that are conducive to their well-being and successful reentry into society;

 

 GENERAL INFORMATION

 

Rayburn Correctional Center is a medium security facility, housing a maximum capacity of 1,156 offenders.  Generally, offenders must be eligible for release within 50 years.

Construction began on the facility in 1982, and it began receiving offenders in July of 1983.  Washington Correctional Institute (WCI) was initially named in honor of the parish in which it resides.  The first Warden was Steve Alford.  He was followed by Jack Donnelly, Jr.; Ed C. Day, Jr.; James D. Miller, Jr., and Jeffery E. Travis.  Following the election of Governor Bobby Jindal in 2008, Robert C. Tanner was name the current warden following Mr. Travis’ elevation to Chief of Operations

Washington Correctional Institute successfully attained accreditation through the American Correctional Association (ACA) in 1993.  Accreditation through this organization is an indication of a standard of professionalism that only a small percentage of similar correctional facilities have attained throughout the United States.   Reaccreditation has been renewed subsequently every three years.

On August 31, 2006, WCI was renamed the B. B. “Sixty” Rayburn Correctional Center after the former native son State Senator.  The political career of B. B. “Sixty” Rayburn spanned nearly as many years as his nickname. Following his election to the Washington Parish Police Jury at the age of 28, he served one term as state representative, followed by an unprecedented 11 consecutive terms in the State Senate.  His tenure ended when he retired in 1996.

Rayburn was a political power for many years, serving as chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee for over 20 years. He was affectionately known as “Dean of the Senate.” He served under seven different governors. He was a personal friend and supporter of Governor Earl K. Long.

WCI was built during Senator Rayburn’s tenure in the Senate.  Initially the proposed prison was quite controversial in the parish; some residents feared having such a facility in their backyard.  Senator Rayburn, though, felt the facility would be beneficial for the parish economy and convenient for the families of offenders from southeast Louisiana. In his 90^th year, Washington Correctional Institute was renamed, in Rayburn’s honor.

Senator Rayburn’s vision proved to be prophetic.  The facility has been one of the parish’s major employers and parish citizens have benefited from the facility’s many public service projects.  Over the years the facility has evolved into one of the safest and progressive correctional institutions in the country.

RCC encompasses 1025 acres, 45 of which are within the fenced compound.  Most  offenders are housed in four dormitories:  Wind, Rain, Snow, and Sleet.   Wind, Rain, and Snow units have two dormitories each which house 150 offenders. Sleet unit has two “Honor” dormitories with 24 offenders each. In addition, Sleet has four cellblock tiers, used for administrative segregation, disciplinary detention/isolation, and extended lockdown.  Sun, our fifth housing unit, is a maximum custody cellblock that houses up to 208 offenders.  Sun also houses offenders who have been placed in extended lockdown. One tier is used for administrative segregation and disciplinary detention/isolation.  The remaining tiers house “working cellblock” offenders.   

All physically able offenders are assigned jobs throughout the compound, in the field, and on the trustee crews that work in the community.  The offender population provides most of the maintenance labor at Rayburn Correctional Center.

Rayburn Correctional Center is one of the largest employers in the parish, providing jobs for more than 352 employees, most of whom are lifetime residents of the surrounding area.

The annual operating budget for the facility is approximately $25,000,000. The cost per day for each offender is approximately $56.41.

Inside the entrance to the Administration Building is the Control Center.  The officers assigned to this area receive incoming telephone messages, maintain offender counts, and monitor radio communications.

The Visiting Room is just past the interlocking gates, on the right in the “B” Building.  Offenders are generally allowed the privilege of face-to-face visits with approved friends and relatives.  Visiting is held Thursday through Sunday.  Approved visitors may visit twice per month. 

Offenders may be restricted to “non-contact” visiting based on their institutional conduct and/or maximum custody status.

Besides regular visiting, minimum custody and select medium custody offenders are eligible for picnic visits during times of the year when weather permits.  Minimum custody offenders that are participating in the offender honors program receive their picnic visits at Kyle Park (named in memory of Kyle Donnelly, the son of former Warden Jack Donnelly), located just inside the Front Gate.

The offices for ranking correctional officers, Re-entry Specialist, and mental health workers are also located in the “B” Building.

On the compound between the B-Building and Sleet Unit is a 7000 square foot building named the Bethel Interfaith Chapel.  The building was financed through donations, and construction was done using offender craftsmen.  Multiple services are held for many different faith groups nearly every day of the week.  The Chaplain is assisted by several Offender Chaplains who all have a seminary degree.

The Chaplain is responsible for the coordination of religious programs, offering adequate access for each offender to practice his religion.  The Chaplain recruits volunteers from the surrounding community to enhance the opportunities for religious practice.

The Mental Health Department is composed of four clinical social workers, a social services counselor and a part-time psychiatrist.  Included in the functions of this department are individual therapy treatment groups, self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, and the Employee Assistance Program.

Classification officers are responsible for managing offender quarters, custody statuses, and job assignments.  They coordinate Parole Board hearings held at this facility. Classification officers network with other departments at the time of an offender’s discharge.  Additionally, this department coordinates the orientation of recently arrived offenders.  Their offices are located in the Education Building.

The Medical Department, housed in the Peter D. Mora, III, Infirmary (named in memory of a former Assistant Warden) on the left, offers comprehensive medical treatment services to offenders.  Full-time nursing care and around the clock physician availability afford offenders access to adequate medical care.  The Medical Department also provides x-ray, dental, eye care, and pharmaceutical services in-house.    

Next, on the left, is the Cafeteria.  Offenders are served three hot meals per day (an estimated 1.4 million meals per year.)  Approximately 86 offenders assist with food preparation and provide janitorial services. 

In addition to the Education and Vo-Tech Buildings, educational programs are provided in the Cafeteria.  Our educational program offers several educational and vocational avenues for offenders to pursue.

Under the supervision of certified teachers, the literacy program utilizes qualified and trained offender tutors.  Offenders help other offenders with reading and language skills, using phonics and other materials, as well as basic math. Students who score below a 5.0 in reading and total battery on their initial TABE test are literacy students.  This program is the foundation for subsequent phases of our program. The next level takes students from the fifth grade level to Pre-GED and GED.  A certified teacher also works with offender tutors on this level.  Adult basic education is available for students who need remediation for vocational or academic college programs.  A lifeskills class provides basic understanding of computers, job resumes’, and other

Louisiana Northshore Technical College (NTC), Sullivan Campus, offers vocational training courses including Automotive Repair, Welding, Carpentry, and Culinary.  These courses are of varying lengths and complexity. Instructors with credentials in each subject teach the classes, with the assistance of offender tutors who have diplomas and business certifications in the area they tutor.

River Parish Community College offers an Associate Degree with concentrations in business or religion.   Each class meets at night, once a week for three hours.  We offer  three to five courses for each three month term. Saturday courses, Culinary Arts, are provided by the institution with certification from NTC. Other classes may be added as funding permits.

The Gymnasium includes the office of the Recreation Director.   The Gymnasium is used for athletic events, the boxing team and band practice, religious meetings, and recreational craft work such as leathercraft and woodworking.  Recreation programs are in place to reduce idle time for offenders after work hours and on weekends. Athletic events are planned and scheduled through the Recreation Director.  Each housing unit also has recreation equipment and facilities.  All recreation equipment and expenses are paid for with Offender Welfare Funds, with monies generated by the offenders, not the taxpayers.

Listed below are the organized athletic programs in which offenders may participate:

·         Flag Football (August through November)

·         Basketball (November through April)

·         Slow-Pitch Softball (April through July)

·         Volleyball (July through September)

·         Soccer (November through March)

·         Boxing (year round)

Offender sports teams often meet to compete with teams from other department facilities.

Each February, the facility hosts the Terry Wood “King of Hearts” Memorial Boxing Tournament (named in honor of a former corrections captain.)  The tournament features teams from other department facilities and parish jails and is open to the public.  Proceeds from the event are donated to various local youth charities.

The Automotive Service and Repair (AS&R) Building, outside the fenced compound, is the first building on the left after passing the Administration Building.  Facility vehicles are repaired and maintained there by offenders under staff supervision.

The Maintenance Building is the next building on the left.  It houses the offices and workshops of the Maintenance Department. The Maintenance Department is responsible for the repair and preventative maintenance of facility buildings and equipment.  It is staffed by journeyman craftsmen in the Electrical, Carpentry, Painting, Plumbing, Waste Water Treatment, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) trades.  Each craft foreman supervises an offender crew.

The Field Security Office is responsible for supervising the offender workers that leave the fenced compound.  Offender crews are used for farming and grounds keeping operations at this facility.  Additionally, offender crews perform various community service projects that include landscaping and grounds keeping work for the City of Bogalusa; year round maintenance, repairs, and construction at the site of the Washington Parish Fair Grounds in the community of Franklinton; preparation for the annual Christmas lighting display in Bogalusa’s Cassidy Park; and site preparations for the local chapter Camp Fire Boys and Girls summer camp.