By C1 Staff
DENVER, Colo. — A former Colorado Department of Corrections leader was recently honored with the same award that her father won in 1993.
Joanie Shoemaker was with the DOC since 1987, making her way up through the ranks to warden of the Denver Complex and eventually becoming deputy director of prisons in 2006, reports the Canon City Daily Record. She retired in 2013.
Both she and her father were honored with the Colorado Criminal Justice Association’s Harry Tinsley award, which is given to individuals who make outstanding contributions to the criminal justice field.
Shoemaker was nominated by Susan Jones, who said that Shoemaker made a lasting impact during her career by creating a program to provide better treatment to mentally ill inmates in administrative segregation.
Jones said she was also often a voice for female inmates.
Shoemaker’s father, State Rep. Robert Shoemaker, 90, received the award in 1993 for his work in securing jobs for inmates and developing prison industries in Colorado.