A wish to empower, enlighten and educate people drives Captain Josefa Benjamin and is one of the main reasons she was drawn to law enforcement.
In her estimation, one of the most important duties at the Paul Rein Detention Facility aside from the care, custody, and control of the nearly 1,000 inmates and morale of her staff is that everyone detained there has access to reading material.
“There are always books on our library cart because reading is an important part of rehabilitation,” Benjamin says. “I always try to play an active role in assisting others with being and achieving their best.”
Outside the walls of the facility, Captain Benjamin volunteers at the Piney Grove Boys Academy, where she mentors young men and tries to give them the tools they need to ensure a successful future.
“Alongside the principal, I am currently guiding a student that could have very easily been incarcerated in the past. Although he is a work in progress, he has quit his former gang activity and has blossomed into a respectful young man who aspires to be a police officer. I believe as long as he continues to hear that he can, he will.”
“I’m not happy unless I am helping someone accomplish something.”
