By Lesley Keays
Herald Columnist
Laura Bedard, Ph.D., holds a rare distinction. She is one of a scant few female Chiefs of Corrections in the entire state of Florida.
And she’s here.
Bedard is Chief of Corrections at John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford. Polk is an adult detention facility housing pre-trial felony and misdemeanor inmates, sentenced misdemeanor inmates, convicted felony inmates awaiting transfer to state correctional facilities, and federal inmates awaiting trial in U.S. courts. The facility has a design capacity of 1,396 inmates and typically books more than 20,000 inmates per year..
In her current role, Chief Bedard oversees numerous crucial programs, including Inmate Healthcare Services, where individuals are screened for physical and mental health issues, and if needed, are provided sound treatment options.
“No inmate has the same story as any other,” notes Bedard. “One may stay two hours; another 58 days, and still another, five years. It highlights the complexity of our profession.”
A native of New England, Bedard relocated to teach at Florida State University. While there, she completed her Ph.D. in Social Work. She has since served as Warden at six prisons, in Texas, Ohio, and here in Florida.
In 2005, she became the first female Deputy Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections, assuming responsibility for 27,000 state employees and over 200,000 offenders in the third-largest correctional system in the country. She served in this capacity for three years.
In 2022, Chief Bedard published her first work of fiction, entitled “What Do I Wear to the Execution?” It chronicles a female warden as she battles corruption and adversity to lead a maximum-security prison and transform inmates’ lives.
At Polk, Chief Bedard has honed her leadership style. “I am confident in my ability to lead. I continue to mentor women in this field, so they feel supported and seen.”
