Commissioner: Homer Bryson

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

FORSYTH, Ga. – Friday, January 15 was a special day for 18 offenders at Burruss Correctional Training Center, as they became the first graduates of the Integrity Project at the facility.  The Integrity Project® is a program designed to give people the tools they need to make better decisions in their day to day lives. This process begins with helping students define their real Core Values.

“I have seen so many lives changed,” said Luis Guzman, an inmate mentor and course facilitator in the Integrity Project. “We had the opportunity to help each other and learn from one another. These guys have really made a positive change, and should be commended for having the courage to take this opportunity to help themselves.”

The Integrity Project curriculum, which was developed by GDC’s Chaplain Terry Cliett, is a 12-week long course designed to help the participants develop personal Integrity from the inside out. Participants live in the designated Integrity dormitory where all residents are course participants. It is a values development program working on the premise that if a person has good values, their behavior will be good too. Defining integrity as “the quality or state of being good, whole, complete, solid, sound and dependable, the curriculum stresses that to have integrity, each of these values is an essential component. Participants live in the designated Integrity Dormitory where all residents are students in the course. Upon completion of the program graduates have the option of going back to general population and mentoring others or remaining within the Integrity Dorm.

“The overwhelming response from participants has been positive. Staff have also said they see a noticeable difference in the behavior of the graduates,” said Chaplain Cliett.  “The change is so profound that some inmates have said that the atmosphere in the Integrity Dorm doesn’t feel like a prison.  It feels more like a college campus with everyone dedicated to learning and improving themselves.”

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5219 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.