The following bio for Jackie Crawford was published by The Molasky Group of Companies on February 7, 2020
Don’t be fooled by her quiet demeanor. Jackie Crawford has seen life on the inside as warden at prisons in Nebraska, Arizona and Nevada and then as director of the Nevada Department of Corrections. She knows what doing time is all about and how it takes its toll on inmates, state’s correctional systems, communities and families.
Today, as a principal of the Government Services division of The Molasky Group of Companies, she is championing new solutions to old correctional system problems with innovative design and build processes for facilities, alternative methods of financing and progressive programs to manage less violent offenders.
Ms. Crawford started her career in the correctional system in the early 1970s after receiving her degree in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska and became warden for the Nebraska Department of Corrections before moving on to Arizona where she also served as a warden.
In 1982, she moved to Las Vegas to establish and serve as director for the Las Vegas Department of Detention and Corrections. The Detention Center received national recognition as the first local jail system to receive American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation.
In the late 1980s she served Arizona’s Governor Bruce Babbitt as the executive director for the Arizona Board of Pardons and Parolees and then court administrator for the Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County.
In 1995 she returned to Nevada as warden and then director from 2000-2005. Under her watch, Ms. Crawford managed 17 correctional institutions located throughout the state, 2,300+ staff members and a $400,000,000 bi-annual budget. During her tenure, the Department of Corrections was recognized by the Nevada Taxpayers Association and was nominated and was a finalist for the Cashman Award for Good Government.
She has extensive experience working with architects and engineers, government leaders and correctional practitioners for the design and construction of adult and juvenile correctional facilities and community re-entry centers. She understands how good planning can serve the staff members of those agencies who must manage large groups of offenders or other special groups.
Ms. Crawford is nationally recognized for her many contributions to the Criminal Justice profession. She has chaired several ACA committees, served as a Commissioner on the Accreditation Commission for two different terms and served a total of eight years on the ACA Standards Committee. This committee is responsible for setting standards for the operation of jails, correctional facilities for both adults and juveniles, community-based centers and many other types of facilities that require accreditation. She was also Commissioner of Nevada Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST).
Early in her career she chaired a national task force and conducted research on the female offender that was published by the American Correctional Association Journal. The study was the impetus for establishing separate standards for the management of women offenders.
Through the course of her career, Jackie has provided consulting services for more than 15 states. In 2005, Jackie was selected as one of eight Outstanding Women Public Administrators and received the prestigious Good Housekeeping Award.
The following description summarizes the documentary "Growing Up in Prison," which can be found at the above video link:
In 1958, Charles Starkweather went on a murder rampage that left 11 people dead. He took with him his 14-year-old ex-girlfriend Caril Fugate. When he was captured, the big question became whether he had kidnapped Caril, or she was his accomplice. The jury believed she had helped Charlie, and sentenced her to life in prison. This documentary was made after she had been in prison for more than a decade. Jackie Crawford appears in this documentary, as she was the warden at the Nebraska prison that housed Caril Fugate during her incarceration.
As indicated in the above bio for Jackie Crawford, she was the warden at a variety of prisons located in Nebraska, Arizona, and Nevada throughout her career in corrections. She served as the warden in Nevada between 1995- 2000, followed by another five years as the Director of Corrections. In 2001, during her time as the Director of Corrections in Nevada, Jackie Crawford witnessed the execution of Sebastian Bridges. The link below provides a report of the execution of Sebastian Bridges, who had turned down his appeals, thereby volunteering to be executed.
Nevada Executes South African who Refused Stay
The following article provides an update on Jackie Crawford's present life, following her retirement from her career in corrections
Jackie Crawford: Where is the Ex-Warden Now?
On April 21, 2023 I visited with Jackie Crawford at her home in Las Vegas to learn more about her career in corrections, paying particlular attention to her reflections on her experience serving as a witness to the execution of Sebastian Bridges in 2001.