High Intensity Team Supervision H.I.T.S Inside Edition VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2016 Inside This Issue Happy New Year 1 In the Spotlight 1 Training & Special Topics 2 Meet Your Director of Operations 3 Open Letter of Gratitude 4 HITS in the Community 5 Final Thoughts 5 Happy New Year to you all!! The HITS Team is extremely excited about the upcoming year. In this issue, we welcome our new Director of Operations, Mrs. Catina Martin-Fenner. Mrs. Martin-Fenner brings a wide array of knowledge and expertise to the DJJ Community and we look forward to working under her leadership. We would also like to highlight the graduation ceremony for BJPOT Class 004 which took place in December. As we enter into 2016, the HITS Leadership challenges you all to elevate your passion for what you do for our youth on a daily basis. Collaborate with your peers to add to your knowledge, experience, and expertise. Establish challenging goals that leverage your strengths and abilities. And, remember why we all do what we do to help change the lives of our youth. We look forward to an amazing 2016! Your H.I.T.S Commanders Congratulations!! BJPOT Class #004
PAGE 2 EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER Training and Special Topics Do You Know Your Amendments? For further reading, click here to be directed to the Legal Dictionary Bill of Rights section
PAGE 3 Meet Your Director of Operations Catina Martin-Fenner Catina Martin-Fenner began her career with the Department of Juvenile Justice in 1999. She was first employed as JPPS II-Intake Officer with the Muscogee County Court Service Office. Later, she was promoted to a JPPS III with the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit and as a Juvenile Program Manager with the Muscogee County MSC. After her initial stint with the Georgia DJJ, Mrs. Martin-Fenner relocated to South Carolina where she continued her career with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice as a Probation Supervisor for the Probation/Intensive Supervision Unit. She was later promoted to County Director III for Richland County, South Carolina. Catina received a Certified Public Manager Certification in 2009 and she was a Board Member for South Carolina Probation/Parole Association and Greater Columbia Youth Delinquency Prevention Alliance. Returning to Georgia in 2013, Mrs. Martin-Fenner became the District Director for District 5/NE Region (DeKalb, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Walton, and Newton). Mrs. Martin-Fenner s educational background includes a B.A. Degree in Sociology from Albany State University and a M.S. Degree in Counseling and Psychology from Troy State University. She has completed the Georgia Correctional Leadership Development Certification Program in 2015 and is an active member of the Georgia Probation Association. Welcome, Mrs. Catina Martin-Fenner!! Welcome!
PAGE 4 EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER Customer Service Matters: An Open Letter of Gratitude Working at the Department of Juvenile Justice is not for the faint of heart. On a daily basis, employees must react to difficult situations while keeping their cool and composure. While the work can be internally rewarding, outside praise is a rare occurrence. That is why when DJJ gets thank you notes from the general public, they mean quite a bit to everyone. Below is a recent letter of praise and support directed to JPPS I Jovan Murphy Sr of the Fulton HITS Good Morning Mr. Roper /Ms. McClanahan, In December, 2014, life as I knew it changed as my husband and I attended a parental revocation. We knew nothing of what the hearing was about just that we should attend. We were told either we take our two sons or they would promptly be placed in Department of Family Children Services housing in Floyd County. We currently have weekly and monthly visits from a Psychiatrist, Probation Officers, Counselors, Drug Counselors, Therapist and DFCS. The boys were raising themselves for many years and never had any kind of structure around or accountability for their actions. My husband and I have had a very difficult year trying to change the mindset of boys who have refused to obey and respect our household. Moving forward to August 2015, when we met Mr. Murphy, life as we knew it seemed to change. Mr. Murphy has given my family and I hope that soon we will turn our situation around for the better. Now let s be clear Rome was not built in a day, however with Mr. Murphy s nononsense dedication to accountability, parent partnership and skilled supervision the war is presently being won. Mr. Murphy has answered our call in the middle of the night, held both of our sons accountable for their actions and has even intervened to stop an escalated incident. I appreciate how I see our lives changing for the better simply through prayer and Mr. Murphy. Mr. Murphy s enforcement has already made a big impact on both. I d just like to express how grateful and thankful I am for Mr. Murphy s actions which have only helped this family become whole again. I sincerely request that you reward Mr. Murphy for a job well done. I understand my JPPS I Jovan Murphy Sr. Fulton HITS story may not be any different than many others; however it s important that you understand his efforts are changing the dynamic in the Strickland household. We spend lots of time complaining about bad service, no help and inconsistent responses. Mr. Murphy is dedicated to his job because of that; our lives are forever changed for the better! Sincerely, Michael and Iris Strickland Identities of the youth mentioned in this letter have been omitted to protect their privacy
PAGE 5 H.I.T.S in the Community: Clarke Food Drive The Clarke County High Intensity Team led the charge for the Clarke CSO s Annual Food Drive this year. Youth assigned to the Clarke HITs program collected canned goods, drinking water, and other nonperishable items for the food drive. In addition, these youth sorted and loaded boxes that PA Shanell Green and JPPS II Malika Rhodes decorated to give to needy families in the community. Each member of the Clarke CSO and Clarke HITs teams donated items for the food boxes. Over three hundred items were collected for the food boxes. The Clarke County Community Partners also contributed and the local Kroger donated four holiday hams and stuffing. Each case manager was asked to identify needy families and, with the assistance of Nicole McDougald of the Department of Family and Children Services Clarke County, two needy families were identified in Clarke County. Special thanks goes out to Clarke HITs JPPS III Mikeshaund Passmore, JPPS I Brandyn Richardson, and JPPS I Tiffany Moore for their participation in Operation Give Back and their willingness to host the Clarke CSO Food Drive on a yearly basis. This Service Learning Project for the youth integrates meaningful restorative community service, with instruction to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities. Final Thoughts It is our training, our teamwork, our experience, and our dedication that will guide us to meet the mission and objectives of the agency. The Division Team thanks all of you for joining us in this work. We stand as one team to meet this mission; understanding that service to youth is more than just words on a sheet of paper, it is a calling we have accepted with pride. Happy New Year and let s make 2016 an awesome year to be members of the DJJ Team! Theodore Carter Assistant Deputy Commissioner