Joseph Lopes of Warwick, R.I., a Correctional Officers with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections’ men’s Minimum Security Facility, recently received the Northeast Regional Staff Award from the Northeast Regional Correctional Industries Association.
Officer Lopes joined the Department in 1989 and was assigned to Correctional Industries in 1998. In that capacity, he works with contractors, customers, and inmates. He is responsible for teaching inmates to read and understand blueprints, operate and maintain tools and equipment, and deliver and install furniture on time, under budget, and without defect.
A 1984 graduate of Warwick Veterans Memorial High School, Officer Lopes served in the Rhode Island Army National Guard from 1989-1993 and in the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm, from 1986-1988. He was named Correctional Officer of the Year at the Minimum Security Facility in both 1993 and 1999. He currently serves as Chief Union Steward at Minimum and is on the Executive Board of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers (RIBCO).