by Jackie Nunnery
HAYNESVILLE—Haynesville Correctional Unit (HCU) 17 on October 4 recognized its 60th anniversary with a celebration of current and former employees along with community and state partners such as the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Virginia State Parks.
Unit superintendent Patrick Gurney thanked everyone, saying he is “blessed to work at Unit 17.” Gurney also thanked past superintendents Claude Mitchell and Jim White for “such wonderful leadership.”
Amid the speeches, food and hugs from returning former coworkers, there also was a message of finding enjoyment and value in the work that they do.
And that work, according to Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) spokesperson Win Sisson, is “Preparing men to be reintroduced to society.”
Sisson said HCU 17, sometimes referred to as Camp 17, was opened in 1959. The low security unit currently houses…