News Release - January 8, 2009
Georgia Department of Corrections
Brian Owens, Commissioner
Director of Public Affairs
Joan Heath
Contact: Office of Public Affairs (404) 656-9772
For Immediate Release
Georgia Department Of Corrections Names New Assistant Commissioner
Derrick Schofield Appointed
Atlanta – Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens announced today the appointment of Derrick Schofield as the Department’s new Assistant Commissioner. Mr. Schofield, who previously served as the Director of Facility Operations, will assume this new position effective immediately.
“Mr. Schofield has prepared himself extremely well to assume his new responsibilities. I have every confidence he will excel in his role, as he has in all others,” said Commissioner Owens.
Schofield joined Corrections in 1992 as a program manager at Lee Arrendale State Prison. After being promoted to serve as assistant superintendent of the J.C. Larmore Probation Detention Center in Atlanta and a subsequent promotion in 1995 as superintendent of the Rockdale Probation Detention Center in Conyers, he served as Warden of the Al Burruss Correctional Training Center, providing direct support to the campus of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. Throughout his career, he has held key leadership roles of increasing responsibility, including serving as the Warden of Clyde N. Phillips State Prison; the Augusta State Medical Prison for four years; and the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison, overseeing maximum security and death row operations. After serving as Director of Corrections’ new Office of Investigations and Compliance (OIC) in 2005, Schofield was promoted to his current position as Director of Facility Operations, with responsibility to ensure the safe and secure operation of more than 100 prisons and centers.
In his duties as Assistant Commissioner, Schofield will serve as the Commissioner’s appointed deputy, functioning as second-in-command of the Department. Mr. Schofield assumes responsibility for the overall administration and operation of the agency in the Commissioner’s absence or as directed by the Commissioner.
A native of Macon, Georgia, Schofield is a graduate of Fort Valley State University, where he received a B.A. degree in Political Science. Upon his graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served eight years, achieving the rank of Captain. Schofield also holds Master’s degrees in Psychology and Public Administration, and is a graduate of Georgia’s Law Enforcement Command College. He holds Executive, Probation Officer, and Correctional Officer Certifications from The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. Mr. Schofield resides in Cobb County with his wife and three children.
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 150,000 probationers. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 15,000 employees.
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