Captain's Log

Abe isn't the sort of man to talk much about himself. So we went ahead and put together this for him as a gift and a remembrance of just some of the good he has done with his time in this world. When he eventually handed over some revealing details, he stressed that "although I feel it identifies many things accomplished during my civic prison duty, the accolades belong to an amazing team of people who assembled under a united cause and executed beautifully on the vision."

He is that most rare of creatures: a good man. We are privileged to know and work with him.

“I have been given to understand how small this world is and how it torments itself with countless things it need not torment itself with if people could find within themselves a little more courage, a little more hope, a little more responsibility, a little more mutual understanding and love.” - Vaclav Havel

Highlights Reel

  • Director, Florida Department of Corrections 2014 - 2018, reporting to the Secretary, overseeing all rehabilitation programs and re-entry processes for inmates and offenders
  • $120 m+ division, $100 m in contracts
  • 300+ employees, administrators, academic and technical educators, librarians, auditors, chaplains, 15,000+ volunteers
  • Orchestrated executive workshop to define the Agency’s new Vision, Mission and Values statement
  • Reorganized the Office of Re-entry to become the Division of Development: Improvement and Readiness bringing it into alignment with FDC mission
  • Created Bureau of Applied Sciences, Policy and Research for purposes of determining population needs, and matching evidence based or promising programs to identified needs
  • Developed, tested and validated “Spectrum”, the FDC risk and needs assessment instrument, provided in 3 languages and launching self administered tablets to increase program fidelity. Validation provided by FSU Dpt. of Criminology
  • Implemented statewide Spectrum training program to include 3 point approach to motivate prior cultural challenges:
    • Blue Courage. Why we do what we do: a focus on the respect and dignity of life in Law Enforcement roles
    • Motivational Interviewing
    • Spectrum Technical Training
  • Expanded Internship Program to include $200k budget to facilitate new relationships with academic research partners to further understanding of "what works"
  • Developed first in class product nicknamed “Glacier” (tip of the iceberg), where authorized users are allowed to view data in meaningful ways and drill down from gross populations into individual case plans
    • For example, Glacier has been released to all Public Safety Councils in each county for resource planning, where they can see a forecast of releasing population to their geography, based upon violent, non-violent offender criminogenic needs
  • Developed agency policies and procedures to accommodate changes to assessments and use of data
  • Created a Program Clearinghouse where all statewide programs offered are reviewed to determine if they meet basic evidence-based principles that apply to one or more identified criminogenic domains
  • Created Bureau of Programs to house all academic, career and technical education, criminogenic programs and elective programming, library services, recreation and wellness programs, and faith and character programs
  • Standardized statewide curriculum to facilitate faster acclimation and assimilation of transferring students between prisons
  • Doubled the number of Career and Technical training seats through community partnerships and Florida Colleges and Technical Schools using same FTE
  • Doubled the number of GED and Academic seats through reconfiguration of teacher roles, security operations providing access to a three-class day in select facilities
  • Implemented Institutional Job Assignment Credential Program that produces a certificate of accomplished hours and related work for post-release employment opportunities in Culinary, Farm, Horticulture, Construction, Groundskeeping and Maintenance, Dog Training, Bee Keeping, Warehousing, Fork lift operations
  • Program expansion for students with disabilities, including art therapy and behavior therapy programming
  • Enhanced the provision of Chaplaincy Services to include training that ensures the equal facilitation of a11 faiths within our institutions
  • Increased the number of Faith and Character Facilities statewide from 17 to 33
  • Implemented a new volunteer policy to expand and retain volunteer services that are matched to identified program needs
  • Developed first in class, Out of Cell cognitive behavioral and prosocial programming for use in fast-tracking step-down from Restrictive Housing, enabling training for officers to become teachers and program facilitators
  • Enhanced and upgraded library services through refreshed collections from network of private and business donors, increased the number of law library research stations, and expansion of services through online legal research delivery solutions
  • Developed Entrepreneurship Curriculum to increase post release readiness
  • Established Institutional Therapy Dog Program to assist with institutional adjustment, increase communication and reduce stress in the environment
  • Established the Bureau of Community Readiness and Transition focusing on Substance Use Disorder, Dual Disorder, Re-entry mechanics of successful release and post release/offender services that improve H.E.M.(housing, employment and medical) outcomes
  • Developed third party business software for use as an employment marketplace for returning citizens that is tracking to place 10,000 people in employment by end of 2018
  • Review and re-write of all vendor contracts to include performance measures that map to positive criminogenic needs and behavioral change
  • Increased in prison Substance Use Disorder services 2.5x by adding two levels of care and sequencing when treatment is received. 8500 to 18,900 seats accommodated
  • Appointed member of the Supreme Court Taskforce on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
  • Agency representative on the PRIDE Board of Directors

Heaven will last,
earth will endure.
How can they last so long?
They don’t exist for themselves
and so can go on and on.