Before the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility opened in 1998, a new prison had not been built in Iowa for more than 80 years.
‘‘There wasn’t a blueprint available to use,’’ said the prison’s first warden, John Thalacker.
Thalacker recalled holding the first job interviews for his potential penitentiary personnel at the Crossroads Mall in 1997.
The facility was just a construction site. Thalacker had no office, no phone — not even a paper clip.
Starting from scratch was also an advantage. The institution was designed to give staff space for treatment and training of inmates.
Originally designed for 762 inmates, the Iowa Legislature passed a budget expanding the facility in 1998. As soon as the doors opened in April 1998, work began to make it bigger.
The Iowa Department of Corrections was developing treatment and education programs to help prisoners return to society. The building was designed to be more than a warehouse for criminals, said John Baldwin, director of the Iowa Department of Corrections.
‘‘The impetus began at about the same time the prison opened,’’ he said. ‘‘It was a learning curve for all of us.’’
Former Warden Jerry Burt, who took the helm at the facility after Thalacker retired in 2002, said the facility has lived up to those early plans.
‘‘They’ve really opened up a lot of treatment possibilities for the inmates,’’ he said. ‘‘They’ve done some great work here over the last two years.’’
Burt said he believed he left the facility in good hands when he stepped down in 2006 and Warden Cornell Smith took over. Burt also adds that Smith was in good hands as well.
‘‘The staff of this institution are very dedicated and skilled,’’ he said. However, in 1998, the staff brought little experience to the new facility.
About 80 percent of the staff and correctional officers had never worked directly with inmates; 90 percent were starting a position they had never worked before.
With an experienced staff, Smith said things have changed at the institution in a decade — which is exactly the business he’s in.
‘‘This facility was built with a concept that was conducive to change behavior,’’ he said.
Aside from a clinical care unit, the facility is still the youngest in the state. It also has the youngest average inmate population. Working with younger offenders earlier in life makes that change possible, he said.
The five-month Young Offender Program, RIVERS — Redirecting Individual Values, Energy, Relationships, and Skills — has made national headlines and has been used as a blueprint for young offender programs at other institutions in the U.S.
‘‘I think we are all in this business for change. Our overall mission is to create an Iowa with no victimization,’’ he said.
Contact John Molseed at (515) 573-2141 or jmolseed@messengernews.net
