SGTC MOWR Criminal Justice students welcome guest speakers

South Georgia Technical College’s (SGTC) Move On When Ready (MOWR) high school Criminal Justice Technology students recently listened to two correctional officers who explained their roles in law enforcement as well as the differences between jails and prisons to the students. Sgt. Heather Trussell from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and Sgt. Linda Drains from Macon State Prison were the featured speakers. Sgt. Trussell has worked as an officer in the jail and was recently promoted to Sergeant over the Communications division. She spoke to the students about both her time as a jailer and the last year as a sergeant. She also explained the differences between county inmates and state inmates. Sgt. Drains has also been a correctional officer for many years, and spoke to the students about her role as a correctional officer and now the field training coordinator, explaining the training that’s involved in her line of work and what future correctional officers could expect in the field. “The students really enjoyed being able to talk with both of these officers and learn more about their positions and careers,” said SGTC Criminal Justice Technology instructor Teresa McCook. “After listening to both officers, the students were really able to apply what they’d learned from the book to the knowledge that the officers had passed on and could better understand the difference between jails and prisons, as well as the inmates that both these facilities serve.” Move On When Ready is a dual enrollment program for students to attend SGTC and earn college credit while still in high school. Students can receive a diploma or associate degree from SGTC by the time they graduate high school through the MOWR program. For more information about MOWR, call 229.931.2243, email highschool@southgatech.edu, or visit southgatech.edu/academics/academic-initiatives/move-on-when-ready. Criminal Justice Technology is one of several programs available through MOWR. For more information about Criminal Justice Technology at South Georgia Tech, contact Teresa McCook at 229.931.6940 or tmccook@southgatech.edu.