On Wednesday, July 11, at 11 a.m., Corrections Director Ashbel T. Wall II will present Lauren Piccoli with a $500 Susan M. Hunter Scholarship Award on behalf of the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA), of which he is President. The annual award is available to children of correctional employees. The brief ceremony will take place in the 2nd floor Conference Room of the main Administration Building at 40 Howard Avenue on the Pastore Complex in Cranston.
Lauren is the daughter of Probation and Parole Officer Geno Piccoli, who works in Adult Probation and Parole in Pawtucket. Geno has worked for the state since 1981 and has been with the RIDOC since 1990. Lauren will be entering her fourth year in the six-year pharmacy program at URI.
At last year's ceremony, Corrections Director A.T. Wall II noted that it was a first in RIDOC history that someone had been the Hunter scholarship recipient two years in a row. Now Lauren marks another first by being a third-year recipient.
The late Susan Hunter was the Chief of the Prisons Division of the National Institute of Corrections. A tremendous influence in the field of corrections, she passed away in 2003. A seasoned administrator and mentor to many corrections professionals, she was an advocate for change. ASCA named this scholarship on her behalf as a lasting tribute to her commitment, insight, energy and enthusiasm for the field of corrections.
The following paragraph about Ms. Hunter is included in the certificate presented to Ms. Piccoli: Deeply held correctional ideals embodied the career of the late Susan M. Hunter, who was Chief of the Prisons Division, National Institute of Corrections, for 20 years. She advocated correctional professionalism that requires gender parity among inmates and staff, adequate programs, special considerations for the unique needs of women inmates and those requiring mental health services. She realized and proclaimed that the key to achieving these ideals was thorough training and education of staff. The Susan M. Hunter Scholarship honors Susan's educational ideal by honoring you for your educational goals and efforts. ASCA grants you this assistance as a child of a corrections employee. Go forth and strive for the enlightenment and knowledge that will prepare you to contribute to a better world.
The scholarship check can be used toward tuition, books, or other expenses.