Commissioner: Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

180 offenders, 20 guests attend

FORSYTH, Ga. – On September 8, Walker State Prison (SP) hosted an event to celebrate National Recovery Month. There were 180 offenders, and 20 visitors from several agencies and organizations, including Celebrate Recovery, the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS) in attendance.

“We are excited to celebrate National Recovery Month at Walker State Prison, and at GDC facilities statewide,” said Commissioner Dozier. “An important part of our reentry initiative is to provide the necessary support to those struggling with mental and substance abuse issues, to best prepare them to return to society.”

Recovery Month increases awareness and understanding of substance abuse disorders and encourages individuals in need of treatment and recovery services to seek help, celebrates people in long-term recovery, and recognizes the dedicated workers who provide the prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. 

This year’s Recovery Month theme focuses on rural and frontier communities, the criminal justice system, community and faith-based organizations, and public health professionals and departments, highlighting the various entities that support recovery within our society. The theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Strengthen Families and Communities,” encourages communities to be socially inclusive, offering support to those with mental and/or substance abuse disorders.

Walker SP provides many levels of programming to assist residents in their battle with addiction and recovery. The programs are offered through local partners and volunteers, and the facility’s Care and Treatment staff. 

Programs include: Celebrate Recovery, a 12-month program that celebrate God’s healing power through 12 steps and eight recovery principles; Matrix Early Recovery Skills, an eight-week program where participants learn about external triggers and internal triggers, how to manage them, and how to stabilize into early recovery; Relapse Prevention, a 32-week program where participants implement skills learned in the Early Recovery Skills Group, and acquire new skills and incorporate them into a day to day practice; Narcotics Anonymous (NA), which is an ongoing program based on the twelve steps, the twelve traditions and the twelve concepts of NA; and Power Over Addiction, a 12-week program the lets participants explore and discover basic information about the dangers of various kinds of drugs, and covers the stages and physical effects of addiction.

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 478-992-5248 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.