30th Annual Training Symposium Oct 11-14, 2022

The 30th Annual 3-day NYCAYSA Symposium was held October 11-14, 2022, at Holiday Valley, 6557 Holiday Valley Rd, Ellicottville, NY 14731. The theme was “R&R: Understanding Reform, While Exercising Resilience and Self Care.”

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Nathalie Douge, the main medical professional in the three-time 2022 Emmy award winning documentary “The First Wave”. The documentary directed by Matthew Heinerman managed to get access to the Long Island Jewish Hospital in Queens, NY during the first four months of the COVID-19 response. Dr. Douge reflected on what the early days of the pandemic looked like for her and how she became resilient in the face of a traumatic period in her life. The full documentary was played as a workshop during the three-day conference.

Special guest speakers, during the 3-day training included NYS Inspector General Lucy Lang, Associate Commissioner for PREA Compliance Standards Jason Effman, Executive Deputy Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III, NYS DOCCS and Terrance Moran, Director of Operations, NYS Commission of Corrections

Over 200 staff attended numerous workshops focusing on ethics and integrity, de-escalation, disturbance management, staff awareness, current trends in OSI, staff safety, drug trends, human trafficking, LGBTTSQI, wellness, communication, and creative writing.

NYCAYSA President, Delta Barometre and NYCAYSA Executive Board presented the 2022 annual awards. The Rutherford B. Hayes founder’s award for leadership and was presented to Joseph Noeth, Deputy Commissioner, NYSDOCCS for his role on the response to prison violence. The Meritorious Service Award, for exceptional service in the field of adult and juvenile corrections, was presented to Jason Effman, Associate Commissioner, NYSDOCCS for his leadership and awareness on the implementation of the PREA standards, which have led the State of New York to full accreditation and recognition as a national leader in this area.

The Outstanding Contribution award for exceptional or consistent support to the field of corrections was presented to Christopher Martuscello, Assistant Commissioner, NYS DOCCS for his ongoing leadership and support throughout not only the Department but nationally to other correctional systems through your work in the Office of Special Investigations. Lastly, the President’s Award for a member who demonstrate themselves by outstanding achievement to NYCAYSA was presented in memory of the late Supervising Superintendent Dennis Breslin for his long-standing support of NYCAYSA and his mentorship.

The 2022 NYCAYSA cares project donated two thousand dollars to the Southern Tier Advocacy Center. The Center provides a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach to child victims of sexual and physical abuse. They provide a safe, child-friendly environment for interviews, medical examinations and support to child victims and their non-offending family members.