Welcome to the Division of Correction Volunteer Program. We are excited that you are exploring the volunteer opportunities offered at ADC. Our volunteers provide great services to our inmates.
By participating in the program, you are helping to successfully return individuals to the community.
Volunteer Mission Statement
“Improving lives with the help of the community, one incarcerated individual at a time.“
Definitions
- Volunteer: A person who is 21 years of age or older who donates their time and services without compensation. Depending on the assignment, this position may or may not require security escort services while in the facility.
- Partnership Agencies: Representatives from an agency who provide services from their agency to incarcerated individuals.
- Intern: A student who is 18 years of age or older enrolled at an accredited university who needs college credits to complete their degree. Training must be supervised.
- Guest: A person who is 21 years of age or older who will visit the facility to provide a special service, such as guest speaker, and not to exceed six visits per year. Security escort will be required.
- Employee Volunteer: A DOC employee who donates their time and services at an outside agency and or event while not being compensated by DOC.
Contact Us
Call or email us if you have any questions, suggestions, issues, or stories to share.
To enable you to do this wonderful work for as long as possible, we hope to provide you with the best volunteer support services. The first steps are to provide you with the best training possible and give you tools you will need to collaborate successfully with the incarcerated individuals.
VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT STAFF:
Ardella Bearden
Program Eligibility Coordinator II
Phone: (870) 850-8596
Email:
Ardella.Bearden@doc.arkansas.gov
Boniethia Shelby
Volunteer Services Coordinator
Phone: (870) 850-8593
Email: Boniethia.Shelby@doc.arkansas.gov
Volunteer Opportunities
Reentry Coach
Overview:
The Reentry Coach provides support to individuals. The Reentry Coach may also provide support to individuals on parole or post-release supervision/probation. Through supportive weekly meetings, the Reentry Coach will assist the individual with identifying, planning, and achieving goals in areas that will help them successfully rejoin the community. Some key goal areas for everyone are transportation, education/training, employment, finances, and housing. Other goals may be considered based on the needs of the individual. The Reentry Coach also provides support in identifying and accessing resources in the community.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
- Be a positive role model;
- Listen;
- Support the individual in identifying goals and developing plans to achieve them;
- Meet weekly to discuss developments, challenges, and work on plans to achieve goals;
- Keep a summary log of interactions with the individual and use that to report monthly to the Volunteer Coordinator or Program Specialist of the status of goals and other activities
Qualifications:
- Demonstrate an ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships with clients through interpersonal skills, sensitivity, and rapport building skills;
- Commit to volunteering for a six-month period;
- Complete a background check, Reentry Coach Training, and Facility Training;
- Be culturally and socioeconomically sensitive with the ability to respect and serve a diverse population of people;
- Report all crisis management incidents;
- 21 years old or older
Location:
The Reentry Coach will make the determination of his/her assignment.
General Internship
Purpose:
To have the opportunity to gain experience, under supervisory guidance, the specific functions of an area as designated by the university internship coordinator.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
Typical duties may include one or more of the following:
- Participating in individual interviews;
- Answering phones and filing;
- Researching resources to meet individual needs;
- Assuming limited responsibility in providing casework services;
- Administrative duties as necessitated by individual contact;
- Maintain effective working relationships with individuals and staff
Qualifications:
- Enrolled in an accredited university;
- Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and professionalism;
- Mature, reliable, dependable individuals able to relate to a variety of persons;
- Ability to develop supportive relationships with individuals while maintaining objectivity;
- An awareness of one’s role as an authority figure and a role model;
- Ability to communicate information in verbal and written form;
- Successfully pass background check
Training:
Agency and Division orientation sessions are required. On-the-job training will be provided by trained staff. Additional training opportunities may also be available.
Supervision:
Supervision will be provided by an assigned staff person
Commitment:
Preferred is a full semester of 16 weeks. This is an unpaid position with no benefits or travel reimbursement.
Evaluation:
Evaluations will take place on a regularly scheduled basis as Department and/or college/university requirements dictate. Consultation will be available from the immediate supervisor and/or the Internship Coordinator.
Customer Service
Overview:
The Customer Service Representative provides a positive first impression of the agency’s friendliness, excellent service, and standards. The Customer Representative must be able to Interact with customers to provide and process information in response to inquiries, concerns, and requests. This position is governed by state and federal laws and agency policy.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
- Greet visitors and assist with inquiries;
- Monitor website for inquires and respond accordingly;
- Escort visitors to the right offices;
- Communicate directly with visitors either by telephone, electronically or face to face;
- Respond promptly to visitor’s inquiries;
- Direct requests and unresolved issues to the designated resource;
- Maintain records of visitor interactions and transactions;
- Record details of inquiries, comments, actions taken, and complaints;
- Maintain visitor databases;
- Communicate and coordinate with internal departments;
- Follow up on visitors’ interactions
Qualifications:
- High school diploma, general education degree or equivalent;
- Knowledge of customer service principles and practices;
- Knowledge of relevant computer applications;
- Verbal, written communication skills;
- Interpersonal, listening skills;
- Adaptability, initiative, stress tolerance
College Coordinator
Overview:
This position is responsible for coordinating and providing student services at Division of Correction. These services include coordinating support for new and continuing students with registration, financial aid, and assessments related to placement. The coordinator assists in retention programs including tutoring, and other efforts identified at the facility. A flexible schedule may be required.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities
Administrative Student Support:
Supports students in completing all necessary forms.
- Works directly with students to support processes and solve problems related to registration, financial aid, and payments;
- Serves as Liaison with main campus offices to facilitate processes and problem resolutions;
- Supports facility in coordinating Student Orientation;
- Manage classroom, and request supplies as needed for distribution;
- Organize assignment of tablets to include labeling and distribution
Academic Support:
Administer Accuplacer testing and forward scores
- Monitor the printed reporting of census and grades;
- Oversees assessments and placement testing for new students as needed;
- Coordinates tutoring opportunities as available;
- Supports facility in developing schedules as needed;
- Implements retention strategies as identified;
- Works with Dean of Students to ensure that the facility is aware of services offered by the college and implements new services as they become available.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree required or high school diploma with college experience;
- Minimum of two-years’ experience in an educational setting;
- Experience collaborating with adult learners;
- Excellent oral presentation and written communication skills;
- Computer skills include Microsoft Office and database software;
- Collaborator with demonstrated customer services skills;
- Ability to multitask;
- Ability to exercise good decision-making skills;
- Experience in conflict resolution and consensus building;
- Ability to communicate and maintain systematic, coherent expectations
Recovery Sponsor
Overview:
A sponsor is someone who can help guide you through the program. This person is generally someone who has a good amount of sobriety under their belt and feels comfortable guiding others through challenging times in sobriety.
A sponsor is an understanding and sympathetic person who you can trust and turn to with problems associated with alcohol substance abuse and sobriety. Sponsorship is a vital tool for the 12-step pathway of recovery.
Although there are no formal sponsorship rules, it is recommended that a sponsor has at least one to two years of sobriety before they begin to sponsor. The goal is to have someone who will help your growth in the program
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
Alcoholics Anonymous
A sponsor does everything they can within their personal boundaries and knowledge to help a newcomer get sober and stay sober using the tools of AA.
- Leads by example through sobriety and drinking history what AA can do for a person’s life;
- Encourages clients to attend different AA meetings to obtain several viewpoints and interpretations of the AA program;
- Suggests to clients to keep an open mind about AA and alcohol use disorder;
- Introduces clients to new members or new groups;
- Shows the newcomer AA literature like the Big Book and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions;
- Explains the 12-step program and the meaning of the 12 steps, emphasizes their importance;
- Guides clients through the 12 steps and then encourages them to pass on what they have learned
Substance Abuse/Celebrate Recovery
Addictions Sponsors provide individual or group therapy to individuals struggling with drug addiction, alcohol addiction, gambling addiction and/or eating disorders. Sponsors may participate in orientation sessions, informational programs and/or dependency prevention initiatives. Sponsors meet with clients in reentry/transitional, residential treatment facilities, correctional institutions, or parloe/post-release supervision/probation settings.
There is no one way to be a sponsor. The rules are not set in stone. Each person has their own recovery program, and this means that each sponsorship relationship will be unique.
Faith Based/Spiritual Provider
Contact:
Joshua K. Mayfield
Administrator of Chaplaincy Services
Phone: (870) 267-6259
Email: Joshua.Mayfield@doc.arkansas.gov
Overview:
Under the direct supervision of the Chaplain, the Faith Based Provider provides spiritual and pastoral care and facilitates the opportunity for the client to pursue their individual religious beliefs and practices in accordance with current law, federal regulations, and Division of Correction guidelines.
The Faith Based Provider may provide religious worship, education, counseling, spiritual direction, support, and crisis intervention to accommodate the diverse religious and spiritual needs. The Faith Based Provider’s role is to be a non-judgmental caring influence in the lives of individuals, a visible model of respect and caring for each client’s spiritual need.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
- Understand the mission and values of the Religious Services Program;
- Continued learning of the work performed and how it supports the Religious Services Program in achieving its goals;
- Maintain readiness to assist and serve everyone in a pluralistic and how to work in a multicultural environment with sensitivity and integrity;
- Be able to use knowledge and be willing to expand learning of applications or technology to perform job duties;
- Maintain and improve the skills and knowledge needed to be effective in performing job responsibilities;
- Follow Religious Services Program policies and procedures in conducting work activities
Qualifications:
- Skill in non-clinical religious counsel in both individual and group settings;
- Support/Endorsement from local religious body to do prison ministry;
- Commitment to honoring chain of command in resolving non-routine problems;
- Model behaviors that are consistent with the mission and values of the Religious Services Program in work activities and relationships;
- Communicate a positive, professional image of the Religious Services Program, demonstrating respect, empathy, and integrity
Recreational Services
Overview:
The Recreational Leader conducts recreation activities with clients. They will organize and promote activities, such as arts and crafts, sports, games, music, dramatics, social recreation, and hobbies, under the direction of Division of Correction guidelines.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
- Organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies;
- Ascertain and interpret the individuals’ interests, evaluate equipment and facilities, and adapt activities to meet the needs and guidelines of ADC;
- Supervise and coordinate the work activities of clients;
- Explain principles, techniques, and safety procedures to clients in recreational activities, and demonstrate use of materials and equipment;
- Evaluate recreation areas, and facilities to determine if location is appropriate for desired activity;
- Meet with staff to discuss rules, regulations, and equipment/supply needs
Qualifications:
- Certification and or license will be required if the services provided dictates;
- One year’s experience of principles and methods for curriculum and training design;
- Teaching and instruction for individuals and groups;
- Measurement of training effects;
- Knowledge of human behavior, performance, and individual differences in ability
Educational Services
Overview:
The Educational Provider is responsible for teaching courses to individuals in a classroom setting. They will prepare lesson plans, evaluate and monitor participant performance and encourage individuals to develop and fulfill their academic/vocational potential.
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
- Prepares outline of instructional program and studies and assembles material to be presented.
- Presents lectures and discussions to group to increase students’ knowledge or vocational
- Prepare outline of instructional program and studies and assemble material to be presented;
- Present lectures and discussions to group to increase students’ knowledge or vocational competence;
- Create a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the maturity and interest of the students;
- Keep daily attendance records and progress reports;
- Assess the accomplishments of students on a regular basis;
- Maintain records portfolios and student progress reports;
- Prepare and submit monthly reports in a timely basis;
- Test and grades students;
- Assist the program coordinator in such duties as deemed necessary in attaining the established program goals
Qualifications:
- Certification and or license will be required if the services provided dictates;
- A minimum of 36 months experience of principles and methods for curriculum and training design;
- Ability to communicate effectively orally and in written form;
- Knowledge of human behavior, performance, and individual differences in ability;
- Ability to instruct and maintain emotional control under stress