Moriah

Every day at 5:30 a.m., the North Country hills are alive with the sound of � reveille. That�s when 233 Moriah �Shock� inmates, like their 900 counterparts in three other such programs across the state, begin another day of intensive programming, grueling physical training and work assignments until �lights out� at 9:30 p.m. But those long days will end with the opportunity to shorten their prison sentences, through a program that has shown itself equally beneficial to the public � by reducing crime and prison costs.

The day begins with the shouted commands of Moriah�s seasoned Drill Instructors - Correction Officers with additional training who go by a different moniker at Shock facilities.

After the early-morning awakening, inmates are accorded a brief period to shower, dress and stow away their areas. Now they are ready to begin a long day of physical exercise, work assignments plus academic programming and counseling.

Nothing appears normal to the young men in the newest of the six platoons at Moriah who, like their counterparts in the other, more advanced platoons, are in the process of rebuilding their lives under the guidance and supervision of Department security and civilian staff. Their full day will go non-stop until "lights out� at 9:30 p.m., when they get their needed sleep to prepare them for tomorrow�s repetition of today�s schedule.

This schedule will repeat itself for 180 days until those who can complete the demanding program graduate from this minimum-security facility nestled in the wooded hills above Lake Champlain in the Adirondacks.

Existing iron ore mining buildings and grounds were converted at Moriah in 1989 to house a maximum of 250 non vioandlent inmates as part of the Department�s growing Shock Incarceration program. The program uses a para-military approach to assist inmates with changing their thinking, addictions and lifestyles to eventually lead a productive and law-abiding life in society.

Joining the already opened Monterey and Summit Shock facilities, Moriah accepted its first platoon of inmates on March 27, 1989, with that inaugural platoon graduating on September 21 of that year. Through August of 2003, 168 graduation classes have been held for the more than 6,200 Moriah inmates who successfully completed the intensive six-month program.

An area rich in history

The Adirondacks region where Moriah is situated has roots that go deep into the area�s past. The shores of Lake Champlain and the surrounding territories was an area of conflict for 200 years following its �discovery� by Samuel de Champlain in 1609. Indian tribes, French, English and, finally, American colonists, fought to control the lake as an avenue for transportation and commerce. The now-tranquil valley has often been referred to as �The Warpath of Nations.�

On the grounds of the present-day Moriah, there once existed one of the most modern and significant iron ore mining operations in America. For 250 years, iron ore was mined in the town of Moriah. From the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the early pre-revolutionary naval battles of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain to the war in Vietnam, the ore in the surrounding hills supported the domestic and war industries of this country.

Iron deposits were first noted in early French and British documents in the 1740s. The infamous Benedict Arnold of Revolutionary War fame used ore from deposits along the shores of Lake Champlain to outfit the first American Navy vessels, which were constructed on Lake Champlain for use in fighting the British.

The property known as Fisher Hill, on which Moriah is sited, is boarded on the east by Lake Champlain and on the west by the high peaks of the Adirondacks. The first permanent settlement in the area was established in 1785. Iron ore became the staple of the local economy in the early 19th century. Port Henry, located on Lake Champlain five miles from the facility, became the main line of transport for the ore that was mined in the nearby villages of Witherbee and, appropriately, Mineville.

The year 1820 saw the beginning of the first mining on Fisher Hill. The property changed hands several times. It was not until 1872 when the Port Henry Iron Ore Company acquired the property and dug three operating shafts or slopes to a depth of 500 to 550 feet.

Ore was hoisted by horsepower, loaded in wagons and transported down to the shores of Lake Champlain to be shipped south. Dirt roads were used at first for the trip to the lake. Later, a road was constructed of hemlock planks which were four inches thick and between eight and 10 feet in length. Known as the �plank road,� it was replaced by rail lines in 1873.

The local mines provided the iron used for the construction of the Union�s iron-clad vessel, the Monitor, famous for its late Civil War battle with the Confederacy�s Merrimac. Ore and pig iron (developed in local furnaces) were shipped to Troy for construction of steel rails and iron plate in support of the growing American industrial machine and for construction of the vast railroad system.

The mines in the area would be renowned for the high quality of the ore and the whole region became known as the Mineville Iron District. Other than two deposits in Sweden, the Moriah deposits were the largest developed magnetic ore concentrations in the world.

In 1941, the Fisher Hill came under the management of the Republic Steel Corporation, which invested $14 million in improvements to increase output. The site was in high production during World War II, producing almost 2 million tons of ore. The high quality of the ore made it especially desirable for the construction of aircraft engine parts. The ore from the mine played a major role in keeping the production of aircraft at a high rate in support of the war effort.

With the drop in demand for ore, the mine operated sporadically from 1949 to 1961, when it closed for good. Its impact on the country cannot be disputed, and its place forever etched in the history books.

The property remained dormant until 1987, when it was transferred to DOCS. Construction of the present facility began in 1988 and was completed in March of 1989 at a cost of $13 million.

A structured environment aimed at prompting change

It seems only fitting that on a site where men once toiled in search of a better life, the employees at Moriah work hard at providing a generation of troubled young men the opportunity to change their lives for the better.

The Department�s Shock Incarceration program � similar programs in other states are more commonly known as �boot camps� � has been deemed the largest and most comprehensive program in the country.

Developed in 1987 with the opening of Monterey, the program has provided thousands of inmates with the opportunity to live clean and sober and change their lives for the better. Inmates who arrive at Moriah are immersed into an environment of rigorous discipline and physical exercise, concentrated education programs, intense Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment (ASAT) counseling, therapeutic community living (Network) and hard work. The six-month program focuses on change of the whole person, using a time-tested disciplined framework to allow for the effective delivery of the entire program.

Staff development is also essential in ensuring inmates experience the full impact of the Shock program. The belief is that staff cannot demand high standards from Moriah inmates if they do not expectthe same from themselves. To that end, all staff at Moriah receive either two or four weeks of intenatsive Shock training, depending on the level of contract that they will have with inmates; they also have regular in-house training. Moriah�s Drill Instructors can also receive specialized DI training from the U.S. Army�s Rehabilitation Training Instructors Course (RTIC). Moriah�s DIs also are versed in non-security matters to assist in the facility�s mission.

They run Network programs, teach Drill and Ceremony and are expected to maintain a high level of physical fitness in order to conduct inmate physical training sessions.

Further testament to the expertise, dedication and professionalism of Moriah�s staff is the fact that the facility is accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA) affirming that it meets nationally-acceptable standards in its management and operations. It was first accredited in 1993 and has been reaccredited triennially since then.

Additionally, in 1996 Moriah became the first Shock Incarceration facility in the United States to be accredited under the new ACA Boot Camp Standards.

Inmates who meet the eligibility standards for Shock are processed at the Lakeview Correctional Facility in Brocton, where 539 of 992 beds are now occupied by Shock inmates. Inmates who do not volunteer for Shock either serve their sentences at Lakeview or some other appropriate facility.

Inmates can volunteer for Shock if they are between the ages of 16 and 39, have a minimum sentence of not more than three years, are serving their first state prison sentence and were convicted of a nonviolent offense.

Those who volunteer are formed into platoons of up to 50-60 inmates. They either remain at Lakeview to complete program or are transferred to Summit, Monterey or Moriah Shock.

A new platoon arrives every month Moriah on the day the senior platoon graduates. There are six platoons active in the program at a time.

On the day of arrival the new platoon begins the Shock program immediately with a security orientation, closely-cropped haircuts and delousing; they also are issued their inmate clothes and related items.

�Given the location of the facility, the long bus ride and the uncertainty of what is facing them, the new inmates that arrive here at Moriah are often confused and anxious,� said Superintendent Bruce Olsen. �Staff are very effective in communicating what is required to successfully negotiate the intensive program. The inmates clearly realize what we expect from them and, more importantly, what they should expect of themselves.�

The first two weeks for a new platoon at Moriah are called �zero weeks.� It�s primarily an orientation that includes physical training (PT) sessions twice daily and introductions to programs like Network, ASAT, education and Drill and Ceremony. The platoon also receives an orientation from officials with the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), who use supervised Moriah community service crews to perform various projects throughout the area, such as clearing campgrounds and fighting fires.

During an inmate�s ensuing stay at Moriah those without a high school diploma will go to school for 12 hours a week to prepare them to take the GED exam; before doing so, they must attain at least a ninth-grade proficiency in both reading and math skills. Inmates with a degree tutor those without.

At the core of the treatment model at Moriah are the ASAT and Network programs. The inmates receive a minimum of 200 hours of ASAT programming and live in a Network or therapeutic community environment.

�These programs are the key to effecting meaningful change in inmate behavior,� said Mr. Olsen. �The disciplined environment that staff creates allows our programming to work more effectively and efficiently. The programs are designed to foster a long-term, life-altering change in behavior that hopefully will remain with the inmates for the rest of their lives.�

Inmate graduations are the culmination of six months of hard work designed to change the whole person. Twelve percent �wash out� before then and are removed. Inmates who do successfully complete the vigorous program graduate with their platoon and leave the facility under state Division of Parole supervision to complete their sentences. The Division of Parole runs an �After Shock� program designed to reinforce the Shock philosophy and support the inmates when they return to society.

Providing vital service across the North Country

The quality of life in the Adirondacks has definitely changed for the better since Moriah received its first platoon of inmates in 1989.

For most residents of the area, the most visible component of the all-encompassing Moriah program revolves around the 10 supervised community service crews that venture into communities facilities throughout the region every weekday, even on weekends if there�s a pressing need.

Besides their DEC duties the crews work for area municipalities and not-for-profit agencies. Their tasks are varied; at any give time they could be fixing up a Little League field or righting felled cemetery headstones, clearing debris from area highways, painting churches or senior citizen centers and helping New Yorkers recover from disasters like forest fires, flooding and snow and ice storms.

�Our crew Officers and inmates provided over 113,000 hours of community service work in municipalities in the counties of Essex, Warren and Clinton in 2002,� said Moriah crew Sgt. Peter Besson.

He added, �Most notably was our response to a request from the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) that our crews be dispatched to fight a rash of forest fires last year in the Adirondacks.�

For a grueling five-week stretch in the summer of 2002, supervised Moriah inmates and security staff battled many fires in remote, hard-to-reach locations in the Adirondacks, helping to prevent property damage and the possible loss of life. The demand was so great that at any given time as many of 120 inmates and 14 security staff could be on the job.

Just as Moriah staff members are dedicated to helping inmates turn their lives around and become law-abiding citizens, they, like the inmates, have also become vital components in the North Country fabric.

They serve as Little League and soccer coaches, sit on community and municipal boards, hold various fund-raisers in the event someone in the community is in need and volunteer their time at local houses of worship and community agencies.

Staff and inmates at Moriah, like their counterparts at other prisons throughout the state, are also key players when it comes to annual Make a Difference Day activities to assist their needy neighbors.

In 2002, supervised community service crew inmates from Moriah teamed with inmates from nearby Adirondack to complete a dam restoration project for the upstate waterway that provides water to both Adirondack and the neighboring Ray Brook Federal Correctional Institution.

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