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Womack is one of a growing speaking class is another way for
number of staff members learning the facility to meet the standards
to speak Spanish at WCCF. She and of the American Correctional
16 other staff members participate Association (ACA), according to
in a Spanish-speaking class that WCCF Compliance Coordinator
is led by inmates Santiago and Emma Taplin. Specifically, she
Luis Miguel Garcia Lebron. The said, the class addresses ACA’s
classes are held on Tuesdays and Reception and Orientation
Thursdays at 4 p.m. Standard (ACA, 2020).
Santiago said he grew up in “The American Correctional
the United States, but his parents Association has a standard that
are from the Dominican Republic. when new inmates are received
Lebron is from Puerto Rico. They at a facility, there should be
both say they welcome the oppor- written orientation materials
tunity to share their language with and/or translations in their
others. “When I hear somebody own language,” Taplin said.
speaking my language, it validates “This class is a good step in
us,” said Santiago. “It shows that that direction, where staff
they care and they want to com- can be in a position to assist
municate with us. There’s a kindred Spanish-speaking offenders
spirit there.” that need that assistance in
“It’s exciting,” added Lebron. understanding policy, pro-
“It makes me feel good to see the cedure, rules, and regula-
interest in Spanish. A lot of Spanish- tions of this facility.”
speaking people come here, and The inmate-led class
they don’t know English. It helps at WCCF is the first
when the staff can speak their of its kind. It is a new program
language.” implemented by Programs Director
Tracey Arbuthnot, who said there
Learning a ‘New’ Language was a need for the class, and she
Whether an inmate speaks is happy to see the participa-
Spanish or other non-English tion by staff. Even though the
languages, communication is vital class is being held in a state
for his or her well-being in jails and prison in partnership with
prisons. According to research pre- Management & Training
sented by S. D. Williams (1985), lan- Corporation (MTC), she
guage barriers can result in inmates believes it can serve as a
being excluded from important model for jails and other
programs. “Hispanics and other places of incarceration. For
inmates who speak only non-Eng- her, it is about overcom-
lish languages also lack understand- ing language barriers and
ing of prison rules and criminal helping the men under the
justice procedures,” Williams wrote. facility’s care.
According to L. E. Bedard (2014), “The more we can learn
the need for bilingual correc- about their language, the better we
tional staff cannot be overstated. can help them while they’re doing
“Ninety-nine percent of our job as time,” Arbuthnot said.
corrections professionals is to com- Warden Scott Middlebrooks said
municate effectively with staff and the program has his full support,
inmates—this means overcoming and he is especially delighted to see
the language barrier,” she noted in staff participation.
her article titled “Why You Need “Think about it,” he explained.
Bilingual Corrections Officers.” “They are learning a new language,
In addition to meeting a practi- and they are having fun doing it.
cal need at WCCF, the Spanish- For most of them, this is probably
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