Little Sandy Correctional Complex is a medium security institution located in Elliott County. It is the state's newest and most technologically advanced institution. Construction began in December 2001 with the ground breaking ceremony. The institution began receiving its first female inmates in May 2005. Male inmates began arriving on July 15, 2005 and by September 2005 all female inmates were transfered.
A total of 1010 inmates are currently housed in two living units at Little Sandy Correctional Complex. Our housing also includes a 100 bed minimum security unit and a 90 bed special management unit. There are numerous support buildings including academic and vocational schools, a medical unit, inmate canteen, correctional industries, a gym, dinning facility and maintenance area.
Accredited on August 13, 2007 by the American Correctional Association(ACA) with 100% compliance
MODERATED BY LSCC PROGRAM STAFF
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (AA)
A weekly meeting using a 12-step program as outlined in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book to help those whose lives have become powerless due to alcoholism. Participants in the program discuss the 12 steps and 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous following a traditional format. Alcoholics Anonymous deals with alcoholism using open communication, videos aimed toward survival with alcohol, and guest speakers.
Requirements for admission to the Alcoholics Anonymous program include being recommended through the Classification Committee, Parole Board, Court/Judge, or through self-admission (documented in the PSI). The program lasts 90 days.
Cage Your Rage
Cage Your Rage is an eight-week anger management course. This class is designed to identify the causes of anger and how to manage those situations. This class also examines the relationship between upbringing and current anger issues as well as the difference between anger and aggression. Reading assignments, writing assignments, group discussion, and videos are utilized during the class to assist inmates in identifying their own problems with anger and how best to solve those problems.
LSCC offers this program on Thursday nights at 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. This program is rotated between General Population and the Minimum Security Unit.
Domestic Violence
Understanding is the key to breaking the cycle of domestic violence. Domestic Violence is an 8-week program that is geared to helping domestic violent offenders learn how to stop using violence in controlling their relationships. They will discover that destructive behaviors are connected to a pattern of thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. Learning to understand each of these, along with awareness of body responses, provides a valuable early warning. With reading assignments, writing assignment, group discussion, and videos participants will learn many effective alternatives and practical skills, which will give them the power to make new choices and create a different life.
Life Without a Crutch
This program uses classroom participation, books, and homework assignments to get the inmates to be open and honest to themselves and others about their addictive behaviors. They learn to view their situation and actions through the eyes of their family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. This helps them to understand the hurt and pain of those around them when they indulge into their addictive behaviors and take time away from their relationships with church, family, work, and children. They will learn about the twelve-step program, where they can go to for help and counseling. The difference between the types of programs on the streets for people with addictions and what best suits them for results. They also learn how to gauge themselves on their progress.
LSCC offers this program on Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m. to the General Population. Life Without a Crutch takes 10-12 weeks to complete. Then it is rotated to the Minimum Security Unit.
Pulling Punches
This program deals with anger management using a workbook and three videos. The videos include dramatized scenarios to stimulate discussions and demonstrate anger management techniques. The workbook contains worksheets to help offenders examine their own anger issues. Offenders can determine where their anger problem may have originated, how it is manifested, and ways to manage it. This program is approximately six weeks in length.
Social Skills for Survival
Social Skills for Survival is a group geared for achievement of inmates who are meeting the parole board within twelve (12) months or transitioning back into society within three (3) years. It is a self-help program for inmates who want to take the initiative and try to improve their reading, interviewing, and social skills for when they rejoin their communities and families.
The course consists of mandatory homework assignments, which will cover filling out applications, creating resumes, writing cover letters, learning interviewing skills, and participating in mock exercises. Hopefully, each lesson will prepare the inmates for some degree of success whether it is learning how to fill out a job application or making the best impression when interviewing for a job in construction or masonry. Furthermore, the sponsors hope to invite guest speakers to contribute to the class by sharing some success stories or helping set up a mock interview.
Thinking For A Change
This program helps one examine their attitudes, beliefs, and thinking patterns. There are twenty-two (22) lessons or segments to this program. It is divided into six steps, three cognitive self-change steps, and three social skills steps.
The three cognitive self-change steps begin by defining what social skills are. It begins by teaching one of the five steps of active listening, asking questions and giving feedback to help one to recognize the kind of thinking that heads one into trouble and helps one to find new ways of thinking. A way of new thinking can reduce the risk of doing something hurtful or criminal.
The three social skills involve knowing your feelings, responding to the feelings of others, and preparing for a stressful conversation, followed by the five steps of responding to anger to teach one how to avoid violence and destructive conflict. The next segment deals with learning to deal with accusations, and not use them as justification for future irresponsible behavior.
The group meets on Thursdays nights for approximately 10 weeks.
MODERATED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL STAFF
RESPONSIBLE THINKING
In this program, inmates will explore the psychological “errors in thinking” that bring individuals back to prison repeatedly. The program utilizes learning resources such as the Dr. Stanton Samenow’s “Commitment to Change” video tape series as well as the documentary series “ One Year in a Life of Crime” and movies produced by such notable individuals as Charles “Rock” Dutton. Inmates are taught to look at the thinking errors that brought them to their present circumstances and how they can work toward change. The summary includes realistic and practical way to change our thinking.
This program is offered on Tuesday and Thursdays for 6 weeks.
ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG ABUSE (AODA)
Little Sandy Correctional Complex will identify offenders with alcohol and drug abuse history. The AODA (Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse) Program is an intensive outpatient educational/treatment model designed to help offenders establish skills for maintaining recovery. The program will be offered to both the medium and minimum security units. Offenders will attend two or three sessions weekly over a twelve-week period. Completion of the AODA Program will include between 48 and 72 hours of group psycho-educational and interactive support with additional assignments completed by the offenders outside of group. Participants will be given the opportunity to explore personal weaknesses and strengths and make positive lifestyle changes.
Wellness Group
This program is an eight (8) week course that covers the general wellness of an individual to include physical wellness mental wellness, and emotional wellness. The group covers and a wide range of topics to include personal /public sanitation to the awareness of disease prevention.
Inmate 2 Workmate
This program is taught by our Aramark Food Service Administrator. It is designed to provide hands on training that consists of three phases, kitchen basics, retail basics and certification. This program takes (20) twenty to (22) twenty two weeks to complete. All graduates receive a food service certificate of training that is highly regarded in the food service industry.
Tools for Success
This program is a (9) nine month course that includes construction management, introductory skills for the construction industry and other up to date information concerning the construction environment.
MODERATED BY ACADEMIC STAFF
Adult Education
Adult Education includes the Adult Basic Education classes for those individuals who need to improve on the basics. Once the basic education level has been met, individuals may enroll and earn their General Equivalent Diploma.
KENTUCKY EMPLOYABILITY CERTIFICATE
The Kentucky Employability Certificate is issued upon successful completion of the American College Testing (ACT). Work Keys tests in the areas of Locating Information, Reading for Information, and Applied Math.
To prepare for this testing and certification at Little Sandy Correctional Complex, an inmate must already have a high school diploma or a GED. TABE testing is required for admittance into the eight-week class. Classes are offered both in the afternoon for inmates who are not working elsewhere and again at night for inmates who have a job. Attendance in class and completion of assignments are required. Students may borrow books to study and use computer labs to assist in learning.
ACT has profiled numerous jobs across the country. A student scoring a minimum of Level 4 in all three areas of testing earns a Silver Certificate. This certificate indicates the exact skills the bearer has in the tested areas and indicates proficiency for 50 % of the profiled jobs. A minimum score of 5 in all three areas earns a Gold Certificate for the student and indicates proficiency for 80% of jobs profiled. The Governor of Kentucky signs both levels of certification.