News Release - Februrary 29, 2007
Georgia Department of Corrections
James E. Donald, Commissioner
Director of Public Information
Susan Phillips
Contact: Office of Public Affairs (404) 656-9772
For Immediate Release
GDC Employees to Host Tours at Forsythia Festival
Atlanta- Employees from the Georgia Department of Corrections will join the citizens of Forsyth in the Forsythia Festival March 7-9. Representatives from the Department will use this opportunity to update the community on relocating to Tift College. A VIP tour of the campus will be held Saturday, March 8 at 10 a.m., followed by a 2 p.m. tour open to the public. Parking for the 2 p.m. event is available across from the Tift Campus in the Ingram shopping center parking lot.
“The GDC is now part of the community of Forsyth,” said Corrections Commissioner James E. Donald. “We are thrilled to be taking part in the festival for our second year and look forward to participating in the festival with our families.”
Commissioner Donald will lead a team in the 5k Fun Run on Saturday at 8 a.m. at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. The event is open to the public and new for 2008 – a division for runners ages 70+! In addition to participating in the festival, GDC will host a recruiting booth and have a representative at the Health/Wellness Display at the hospital. The GDC will also videotape the VIP tour and testimonials from Tift College alumni during the day.
In January 2006, Governor Perdue announced plans to move the Department of Corrections headquarters from Atlanta to the vacant Tift College campus by 2009. The move positions Corrections in the geographical center of the state and closer to the majority of its prison facilities.
The Department of Corrections is the fifth largest prison system in the United States and is responsible for supervising nearly 60,000 state prisoners and over 140,000 probationers. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with nearly 15,000 employees.
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