Chris and Greg wrap up season seven of Field Days this week. The pair give shout-outs to staff across the department, recap the season and let listeners know what changes they can expect for next season. Listen to this week's episode of Field Days and be sure to join them on Feb. 7 for season eight!

Season Seven Finale

Chris and Greg continue to celebrate Veterans Week with Alger Correctional Facility Prison Counselor and Air force Veteran Jason Hubble and Saginaw Correctional Facility Corrections Officer and Marine Corps Reservist Brian Cummings. PC Hubble, who recently chaperoned an honor flight, and CO Cummings who performed funeral honors for Hershel “Woody” Williams discuss their experiences honoring veterans in this week's episode of Field Days.

Honoring Veterans

In honor of Veterans Week, Chris and Greg speak with the MDOC's new Veteran Liaison Emily Rissman. Rissman discusses her experience, her new role, the Military Advisory Committee and what veterans and active-duty service members can contact her for in this week's episode of Field Days.

MDOC Veteran Liaison Emily Rissman Discusses her New Role

This week Chris and Greg are joined by Parole Board members Tim Flanagan and Adrianne Van Langevelde. The pair discusses the Parole Board's role as well as introduces the Structured Decision-Making Framework Tool, which is the Board's new evidence-based tool used to assist them in making decisions.

Parole Board Members Discuss the Structured Decision-Making Framework Tool

This week Chris and Greg are joined by MDOC Tech Team Leads Jeff Anderson and Julie Hamp. The group discusses how the Tech Team originated along with the teams process of approving and introducing new technology to the Department. Listen now to learn more about the technology the team has already implemented and what they are looking to implement in the future.

MDOC Tech Team

This week Chris and Greg speak with Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility Unit Chief Jud Gildersleeve who celebrated his  50-year anniversary with the Michigan Department of Corrections on Sept. 28. Jud, who is known as a pioneer in the mental health field for the MDOC, discusses his career and how things have changed at the MDOC over the past 50 years.

Jud Gildersleeve Celebrates 50 Years of State Service

Daniel Webb

On Friday, Oct. 7, two field service assistants and 13 new agents completed the academy and took their Oath of Office. This week Chris and Greg speak with new Kalamazoo Probation Agent Daniel Webb about his experience, what led him to a career with the Department and what he is looking forward to as an agent.

Daniel Webb Discusses his New Role as Field Agent

The FY 2023 budget began on Oct. 1. This week Chris and Greg are joined by Legislative Liaison Kyle Kaminski who discusses the many staff investments in this year's budget.

MDOC FY 2023 Budget

This week Chris and Greg are joined by Region 4 Offender Success Program Community Coordinator Angie Sprank, Fresh Coast Alliance Cofounder Nate Johnson and Kent County Probation Supervisor Janell Freeman to discuss the upcoming Re-Entry United Conference. This is a first-of-its-kind conference that highlights successful partnerships, programs and services that can benefit returning citizens.The conference will feature breakout sessions and panel discussions on topics such as services for justice-involved individuals, successful collaboration with MDOC and returning citizens, mentoring programs, re-entry grants, trauma, the future of re-entry and more.

Re-Entry United Conference

Communications Rep Bri Brugel joins Chris and Greg this week to discuss recent MDOC events and things to look forward to. The group discusses the recent Corrections Officer Graduation, the MSP Pistol Shoot, the SECC Campaign, the upcoming state survey and more in this week's episode of Field Days Podcast.

Week In Review 09/20/22

Field Days is hosted by Chris Gautz, the department's spokesperson and Greg Straub, administrative assistant to the FOA deputy director, as well as on occasion by Noah Nagy, Warden at Lakeland Correctional Facility, who, along with Greg, started the podcast and were Golden Post Award nominees as hosts.You can find episodes of Field Days on your Apple device using the iTunes podcast app by searching for “Field Days”.  The podcast is also available on the SoundCloud app which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Field Days is also available on the department website www.michigan.gov/corrections. Please, take the time to subscribe and review this podcast to help others find the show!

I&#39;m a Michigan court employee and I like this easy way of keeping up on what&#39;s going on in the corrections system.

Informative

What a great night

Field Days is hosted by Chris Gautz, the department's spokesperson and Greg Straub, administrative assistant to the FOA deputy director, as well as on occasion by Noah Nagy, Warden at Lakeland Correctional Facility, who, along with Greg, started the podcast and were Golden Post Award nominees as hosts.You can find episodes of Field Days on your Apple device using the iTunes podcast app by searching for “Field Days”.  The podcast is also available on the SoundCloud app which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Field Days is also available on the department website <a href="http://www.michigan.gov/corrections" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.michigan.gov/corrections</a>. Please, take the time to subscribe and review this podcast to help others find the show!

Field Days

In this week's episode you'll learn about the Wayne County Job Fair, a job fair dedicated to placing returning citizens in careers. Listen to how the job fair is developed and how it has grown over the years.

Wayne County Job Fair Preview

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg once again hand the mics over to a few of their hardworking MDOC co-workers. This time around it's some of the amazing CFA administrative assistants we have working at facilities throughout Michigan. Chris had a chance to catch up with them at the recent CFA Administrative Assistants Conference in Mount Pleasant. Listen now!Music from filmmusic.io"Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg once again hand the mics over to a few of their hardworking MDOC co-workers. This time around it's some of the amazing CFA administrative assistants we have working at facilities throughout Michigan. Chris had a chance to catch up with them at the recent CFA Administrative Assistants Conference in Mount Pleasant. Listen now!Music from <a href="http://filmmusic.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">filmmusic.io</a>"Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="http://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>)License: CC BY (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>)

CFA Administrative Assistants Conference Podcast

Candice Dunn

Jason Maue

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg sit down with the Michigan Department of Corrections 2019 Candice Dunn Agent of the Year, Jason Maue. Maue discusses his work supervising specialized caseloads, learning and coaching Motivational Interviewing and his moving speech at the recent Employee Appreciation Banquet.

2019 Candice Dunn Agent Of The Year Jason Maue

On July 9th, 2019, the MDOC launched an exciting new partnership with DTE Energy and IBEW Local 17 at Parnall Correctional; a Line Clearance and Tree Trim program. Speakers at the press event included Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who made her first trip inside a Michigan prison to congratulate staff and participants on this fantastic addition to Michigan's groundbreaking Vocational Village. Listen to the launch press conference in its entirety with the latest episode of Field Days!

Tree Trim Program Launch at Parnall Correctional

On the latest episode of Field Days, Greg and Chris travel to Royal Scot in Lansing to meet with two members of the 2019 EPIC Employee Engagement Committee, Jeramie Mangus and Ragina Cannon. Jeramie and Ragina share all the details of the upcoming Employee Recreation Day and the team's plans for events throughout the year.

2019 Employee Recreation Day Podcast

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg hand the mics over to some very special guests as we celebrate Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision week. We sat down with agents from across the state to find out about the work they do, their career paths to the MDOC and why they enjoy working in corrections. Listen now!Music from https://filmmusic.io"Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg hand the mics over to some very special guests as we celebrate Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision week. We sat down with agents from across the state to find out about the work they do, their career paths to the MDOC and why they enjoy working in corrections. Listen now!Music from <a href="https://filmmusic.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://filmmusic.io</a>"Wholesome" by Kevin MacLeod (<a href="https://incompetech.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://incompetech.com</a>)License: CC BY (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>)

Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris Gautz and Greg Straub give listeners a sneak peek at the upcoming Strategic Plan Progress Report, discuss the statistics behind the steady and safe decline of Michigan's prison population, and give a shout out to retiring Assistant Deputy Director Lloyd Rapelje.View the MDOC Strategic Plan: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/Corrections_Strategic_Plan_2014-18_456710_7.pdfPrevious episodes with Dr. Brian Lovins:https://soundcloud.com/field-days/referees-vs-coacheshttps://soundcloud.com/field-days/brian-lovins-podcast

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris Gautz and Greg Straub give listeners a sneak peek at the upcoming Strategic Plan Progress Report, discuss the statistics behind the steady and safe decline of Michigan's prison population, and give a shout out to retiring Assistant Deputy Director Lloyd Rapelje.View the MDOC Strategic Plan: <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/Corrections_Strategic_Plan_2014-18_456710_7.pdfPrevious" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/Corrections_Strategic_Plan_2014-18_456710_7.pdfPrevious</a> episodes with Dr. Brian Lovins:<a href="https://soundcloud.com/field-days/referees-vs-coacheshttps://soundcloud.com/field-days/brian-lovins-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/field-days/referees-vs-coacheshttps://soundcloud.com/field-days/brian-lovins-podcast</a>

Strategic Plan Progress Report

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg share the mics with Kevin Weissenborn and Greg Torrey for a COMS update all about MDOC Food Service.

COMS Food Service

This week, to help celebrate the season, Field Days is kicking off the podcast series Presents, Presence, and Patience during the Holidays - Strategies for Managing Wellness &amp; Self-Care.On today's episode, Chris and Greg sit down with Wellness Unit manager Lynn Gorski and wellness coordinator Lennie Alcorn for an update on the roll-out of the Wellness Unit and to discuss healthy ways of coping with the stress that even the happiest of holiday seasons can bring.

Holiday Stress And Wellness

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris Gautz and Greg Straub look at what's ahead for the Michigan Department of Corrections in 2020.Michigan’s prison population continued its steady and safe decline in 2019. Data-driven policies, evidence-based research and the department's Offender Success model all led to the reduction, which brought the state prison population down to a number not seen since the mid-1990s.2019 was a fantastic year for the Department of Corrections. We're excited to share just a peek of what 2020 will bring!

A Look Ahead for 2020

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg speak with Warden Noah Nagy and Gregg Bourdo, Project Manager for the Organizational Change Management team on the COMS project. Noah and Gregg share an update on the ongoing COMS roll out and details on the COMS Change Network, an established group of MDOC staff tasked with helping get the entire department ready for COMS.

MDOC COMS Project: Change Network

Adrian Scott, executive director of electronic monitoring at the Ministry of Justice in England and Wales, visits the MDOC Electronic Monitoring Center in Lansing.In this week's episode, you'll learn about his visit to the MDOC, what he learned and what ideas he plans to take back with him to implement in  England.

Adrian Scott, executive director of electronic monitoring at the Ministry of Justice in England and Wales, visits the MDOC Electronic Monitoring Center in <a href="http://Lansing.In" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lansing.In</a> this week's episode, you'll learn about his visit to the MDOC, what he learned and what ideas he plans to take back with him to implement in  England.

Field Days Podcast -Executive Director at the Ministry of Justice in England and Wales visits MDOC

Join Chris Gautz and Greg Straub for the last Field Days episode of 2019. It was a year of big changes, exciting events, and continued commitment to employee wellness and offender success. A huge thank you and Happy New Year to our 2019 listeners and guests! Miss Michigan USA Photo Credit: Edwin Shaw Photography

2019 Year In Review

Communications Representative Holly Kramer and Physical Plant Administrator Ed Vallad join Chris for an episode of Field Days all about planning Michigan's first green prison. Ed shares details on the future solar array at St. Louis Correctional, what cost and energy saving measures are currently underway across the MDOC, and a few of the other projects on his greening wish list. Along the way you'll hear from special guests, with surprise shout outs you don't want to miss. Wondering where Greg was this week? Have a listen!

Planning Michigan's First Green Prison

On the latest episode of Field Days, MDOC Probation Agent and recently crowned Miss Michigan USA, Chanel Johnson chats with Chris and Greg about her pageant win and her plans for the upcoming Miss USA competition in 2020. Make sure to stay tuned after the interview for a shout out to Chanel from a very special guest. Listen now!Photo Credit: Chanel Johnson via Twitter @MissMIUSA

Miss Michigan USA

In mid-November, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and members of the Michigan Opioids Task Force announced Michigan's strategy to combat the opioid crisis. More than 20 percent of incarcerated individuals in Michigan have been identified as having an opioid-use disorder and studies show that those released from incarceration are at a higher risk of overdose and death from opioids when they return home.On this episode of Field Days, Bureau of Health Care Services acting administrator Marti Kay Sherry and Substance Abuse Services manager Beth Boyd share details on the department's Medication-Assisted Treatment Program and how it supports offender recovery, reduces overdose and death, and reduces recidivism.

Medication Assisted Treatment Program

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg sit down with Andrea Rachko with Special Olympics Michigan and Macomb Correctional Law Enforcement Torch Run volunteers Robert Leduc, Frank Sgambati, and Karen Solgot. Listen now for details on upcoming fundraising events and volunteer opportunities, including polar plunges throughout the state, and how staff and their families can join in and make a difference in the life of some amazing Michigan athletes.Field Days Extra: Listen back to when Deputy Director Rus Marlan took the plunge! https://soundcloud.com/field-days/field-days-podcast-deputy-director-marlan-takes-the-plunge

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg sit down with Andrea Rachko with Special Olympics Michigan and Macomb Correctional Law Enforcement Torch Run volunteers Robert Leduc, Frank Sgambati, and Karen Solgot. Listen now for details on upcoming fundraising events and volunteer opportunities, including polar plunges throughout the state, and how staff and their families can join in and make a difference in the life of some amazing Michigan athletes.Field Days Extra: Listen back to when Deputy Director Rus Marlan took the plunge! <a href="https://soundcloud.com/field-days/field-days-podcast-deputy-director-marlan-takes-the-plunge" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/field-days/field-days-podcast-deputy-director-marlan-takes-the-plunge</a>

Special Olympics Michigan

Jennifer Metro

On the latest episode of Field Days, Chris and Greg have the chance to talk with the 2019 Director's Award Winner, Jennifer Metro. Metro, a prison counselor at Kinross Correctional, shares how honored she was to be nominated for a Professional Excellence Award and what a surprise it was to take home two awards the night of the Employee Appreciation Banquet. Make sure to stay tuned after the interview for some special guests!

Director's Award Winner Jennifer Metro

On the latest episode of Field Days, Greg is celebrating World Sight Day with producer Joelle Craddy and some very special guests. Melissa Spooner is the coordinator of Prison Puppies, a training initiative of Leader Dogs for the Blind that pairs prisoners with puppies for twelve months of intensive training toward the pup's future career as a leader dog. Prison Puppies is currently operating in ten prisons throughout Michigan and Dianna LaFraugh, an MDOC Reentry Coordinator, serves as the Corrections Liaison. Golden retriever Gordon Ramsey joins the group as the Leader Dogs for the Blind ambassador.

Prison Puppies with Leader Dogs for the Blind

Late last week, Field Days hosts Chris Gautz and Greg Straub had the honor of sitting down with Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist. The Lt. Governor shared details on his work to reform Michigan's criminal justice system, his thoughts on the MDOC Vocational Village programs, and how much he appreciates the hard work and dedication of all state employees. Listen now!

Lt. Governor Gilchrist

The Best Multi-Part Documentaries, with documentaries on Obama, Federer vs Nadal, the making of Star Wars, Netflix vs Blockbuster and more. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Multi-Part Documentaries

The best podcast episodes on global issues affecting everyone. Covering topics such as the #metoo movement, climate change, the impact of technology and some of the biggest global issues facing us right now. For anyone interested in learning more about the world, and some of the issues we're facing, pick an episode below and start listening! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!