Acting DOC chief: Prison needs realignment

“I will finish the things where I left out,” according to newly appointed Department of Corrections Commissioner Lino Tenorio.

In an interview yesterday, Tenorio said hearing it from the outside and seeing it for himself firsthand enabled him to notice the many things that his predecessors deviated from the actual DOC standing operating procedures.

He promised to fix the things that need fixing and run the department the way it supposed to be run.

“This is a state-of-the-art prison facility and I want to keep it up at that level,” said Tenorio, who was the commissioner when the $20.9-million prison in Susupe began operations in 2008.

Tenorio said his predecessors run DOC differently from what he had started. He did not elaborate.

“I will go back to the basics,” he added.

Tenorio said he is honored when Gov. Ralph DLG Torres appointed him and he is confident that the Senate will confirm him.

Tenorio replaced Georgia Cabrera, who is now the acting director for civil detainees at DOC.

He said he would go back and see where things might have changed since he left in March 2009.

Tenorio said he, DOC director Greg Castro, and some of the staff got everything together to be able to effectively run the state-of-the-art prison. He said it requires correctional officers to be intelligent enough to absorb the standard operating procedures every time they clock in.

Tenorio said he would fix whatever needs fixing for the betterment of the correctional officers as well as for the safety and security of the inmates and what rehabilitation programs and other community outreach programs they can implement.

Torres appointed Tenorio as the new DOC commissioner last Feb. 17.

Tenorio used to serve as deputy commissioner for operations at the Department of Public Safety. Then-governor Benigno R. Fitial appointed Tenorio as DOC commissioner in November 2006.

Fitial, however, terminated Tenorio in March 2009 when the latter announced his bid for mayor of Saipan as an independent candidate and not under the Covenant Party, among other reasons.

Tenorio’s predecessors at DOC were Dolores M. Aldan, Ramon Manfas, Robert A. Guerrero, and Cabrera.

MD: Newly appointed Department of Corrections Commissioner Lino Tenorio promise to fix the prison in Susupe.