Since April, Lisa Hollingsworth has been serving as the first female warden of the maximum security U.S. Penitentiary in Marion, Il., says the Marion Daily Republican. She is one of 27 female federal wardens. She started with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons as an intern 23 years ago. Her first main permanent job involved meeting the educational needs of prisoners, finding work assignments for them while they were in prison, and locating half-way houses when they were released.
Hollingsworth says, “We are putting more focus on reentry and giving the prisoners a chance to succeed. I think we are helping them to find training that will help them find jobs. We are teaching them about financial issues and helping them develop resumes.” Hollingsworth says it’s a misconception “that we are coddling the inmates. [] They are going to return to the community eventually and we are preparing them to be better citizens.” The Marion prison opened in 1963 and It became a maximum security prison in 1979.
Link: http://www.mariondaily.com/archive/x379984284/g2582582405f6473ee1adad7bc10867ac980d1c6b039981.jpg