(FBOP) - Drew Barrymore is a talented actress, producer, talk show host, and author with accolades such as the Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and so many others. Recently, she met FBOP employee Jennifer Angel at a wedding. Intrigued by Angel’s training as a culinary artist and career as a Cook Foreman in a federal correctional institution, Barrymore inquired about visiting FCI Otisville to discuss women in corrections and the FBOP’s rehabilitation efforts for incarcerated individuals. She enlisted award-winning veteran journalist Lisa Ling to join her. Barrymore’s show is an "exploration on how we live a life," so this was the perfect opportunity to learn about how females thrive in a historically male-dominated field as well as how adults in custody (AIC) interact with correctional workers and benefit from the many programs offered at federal prisons.
During the visit, they discussed an array of topics, some of which included: how programming changes the lives of AICs, why it’s important to listen and engage with AICs, how to navigate a male dominated space as a woman, the key to maintaining order within a correctional facility, and what they would tell someone about how the institution works.
During the discussion, the importance of communication when working with AICs was explored. Trust Fund Supervisor Melissa Matisko said, “As long as you’re treating [AICs] fair and consistent, you can gain a pretty good rapport with the majority of them.” She also stated that the male AICs at FCI Otisville “communicate with [female corrections officers] on a different level versus maybe a male counterpart.” Cook Foreman Jennifer Angel added that “firm, fair, and consistency [is] what [employees] are trained to understand and [the AICs] understand how the program [schedule] works…It’s definitely the program that really helps [everyone] do [their] job and also rehabilitate [the AICs] on how to be better in the long-term.”
The event was positive, informative, and shined a light on the great work being done at FCI Otisville. It also showcased many of the female correctional workers at the facility and how they feel their careers, and helping others change, empowers them. Drew Barrymore thanked those present by saying, “Thank you for believing in people and not writing them off.” Their visit can be viewed online in three segments: