James River Correctional Center honors Najera as Employee of Month

Manuel Najera has been named employee of the month at the James River Correctional Center, a recognition that spotlights the day-to-day work that keeps treatment programs running behind the facility walls. The announcement highlights Najera’s role in the center’s special assistance unit (SAU), where his duties help sustain continuity of care for residents and support staff operations.

Within the SAU Najera covered multiple treatment positions, conducted regular resident meetings, maintained reports and plans, processed referrals, supported staff training and completed additional duties. Those tasks are central to the unit’s function: covering treatment roles reduces gaps in programming, resident meetings maintain engagement and compliance, and accurate reports and care plans ensure treatment follow-through. Processing referrals and assisting with training also smooth administrative workflow and build capacity among newer staff.

For Jamestown and Stutsman County, those operational details matter. Stable treatment delivery inside the correctional center can influence long-term outcomes for residents returning to the community, affecting local public safety and the demand for social services. From a municipal budget perspective, reliable in-house coverage and cross-training ease pressure on overtime spending and recruitment costs by making staff more versatile and the unit more resilient to vacancies.

Najera’s recognition is also a local workforce signal. Corrections and treatment staff are a small but essential segment of the county labor force, and public acknowledgments can bolster morale and retention at a time when continuity of staffing is crucial for program quality. Supporting staff training and administrative efficiency in the SAU contributes to steady operations, which benefits taxpayers by reducing the likelihood of program disruptions that can be costly to remedy.

Community members who track county operations should note that the work honored here is largely operational rather than ceremonial: it keeps treatment schedules, referrals and documentation moving, and it helps onboard and support other employees. Those functions may not make headlines often, but they underpin rehabilitation services that intersect with local health providers, probation services and reentry efforts.

The takeaway? Recognize the frontline staff who manage the details that keep programs functioning. If you care about safer streets and effective reentry, supporting adequate funding for training and stable staffing at facilities like JRCC pays off over time—both in better outcomes for residents and in steadier costs for taxpayers. Our two cents? A quick thank-you to a local corrections worker goes a long way; consider attending budget conversations or civic meetings where staffing and training priorities are set.