North Carolina Department of Correction news release

Gov. Hunt appoints Correction Secretary Mack Jarvis to Juvenile Crime and Justice Commission

September 22, 1997

Raleigh - Gov. Jim Hunt appointed Correction Secretary Mack Jarvis to the Governor's Commission on Juvenile Crime and Justice Sept 7.

In the wake of a dramatic rise in serious juvenile crime, Gov. Hunt formed the new commission and appointed 18 people, including Secretary Jarvis, and charged them with developing new approaches to keeping at-risk youth from committing crimes.

"This is a great honor and responsibility to be appointed to this commission," Jarvis said. "We're not dealing with the same type of juveniles we were 20 years ago, those who skipped school, but with youths who commit violent crimes. Changes need to be made in the juvenile code, and I hope I can make a substantial contribution to the work of this commission."

Gov. Hunt named Jarvis, a career state employee, secretary of the Department of Correction in January. Jarvis started working for the state in 1959 as a correctional officer at Caldwell Correctional Center. He rose through the ranks and has held a number of positions including being the prison superintendent at Avery, Watauga, Stokes, Western and Piedmont correctional centers. He became the Western Area administrator in 1977 and deputy secretary of the Department of Correction in 1993. Jarvis made history earlier this year when he became the first secretary of the department to have started as a correctional officer.

Jarvis developed a comprehensive training program for correctional officers and an inmate grading system.

Jarvis graduated from Lenoir High school and attended Clevenger College and N.C. State University. He commutes to Raleigh each week from his home in Hudson.

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