NEW FLORIDA PRISONS CHIEF HOPES TO RESTORE CODE OF ETHICS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Col. Jim McDonough has faced tough problems
before.

Sent into Rwanda when it was in a genocidal chaos in the mid-1990s,
the Army commander's mission wasn't just to stop people from killing
each other, but also to figure out how to keep refugees from dying of
cholera.

He's led troops into battle in the Balkans, and waged war on drugs for
Florida and the nation.

Now McDonough, named just over a week ago to take over as secretary of
the beleaguered Department of Corrections, has to restore confidence
in a state prison system shaken by allegations of cronyism and illegal
behavior at the top levels.

McDonough, who has been serving Gov. Jeb Bush as the state's director
of drug control policy, said in an interview Saturday that his first
job is to restore a code of ethics that includes "honesty in all things."

He said he thinks most of the people in the department already have
such an ethic _ but they have to be made to understand that it will be
expected and rewarded.

"It's a department full of good people," McDonough said. "It's a
professional group, and they know their business. They have a code of
ethics and they want to do the right thing. I think I've got to allow
that to come out."

"You reinforce this idea of professionalism. More than expect that, I
insist on that," McDonough said.

McDonough, 59, was selected by Bush after the forced resignation of
former secretary James Crosby. The department has been mired for
months in allegations of wrongdoing. At least two investigations are
underway into the behavior of former top officials at the agency,
which runs one of the largest prison systems in the nation.

Bush had backed Crosby even as another top system official was
arrested and fired, but the governor abruptly asked for Crosby's
resignation Feb. 10. Bush said it would be clear soon why Crosby had
to step down, and with officials at the department saying a grand jury
is thought to be looking into activities at the agency, some have said
they expect there could be indictments. A Bush spokesman has confirmed
that Crosby is a target of an unspecified investigation.

The problems at the agency are wide-ranging, from allegations of a
steroid-selling ring involving prison guards to at least one person
hired for a phantom job just to bolster a staff softball team. There
was also a well-publicized brawl involving agency officials. It's not
clear yet what, specifically, Crosby is accused of.

McDonough promised that he was planning to go over the agency from a
management standpoint from top to bottom, thoroughly examining
contracts, budgets and practices. He cautioned that investigations
into the behaviors that led to Crosby's departure were continuing.

Saturday, McDonough said he has fired the warden of Gainesville
Correctional Institution, Laynard Owens, for unspecified "lack of
ethics and skill." Owens, who has an unlisted phone number, couldn't
be reached for comment. McDonough said his most immediate task is to
define his expectations to the people who work in the prison system.

The culture of professionalism that he wants to restore includes
"first, honesty in all things," McDonough said. He said "honor,
integrity, professionalism, civility, pride and decency," would be
the watchwords of the department under his leadership.

He makes clear that people will succeed based on merit, not who their
friends are in the agency.

"No favoritism," McDonough said. "It's got to be merit that
counts."

McDonough, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, acknowledged that it would be
better for him if he had experience working in a prison system, which
he doesn't.

"But I do have experience in leadership," said McDonough.

He finished a nearly three decade Army career as commander of the
Southern European Task Force Infantry Brigade, which put him in
command of American forces in Bosnia and led to the mission in Rwanda.
He has three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.

When he arrived in Africa thousands of Rwandans were dying every day.
In addition to trying to stop a genocide, McDonough also had to deal
with problems like cholera and other diseases killing people in
refugee camps.

"I learned a lot about managing human systems," McDonough
said.

McDonough's personal ethical standards also made him controversial
when he worked in the Clinton administration.

He spoke out against Clinton for being involved with Monica Lewinsky _
because McDonough said the president was meeting with her at the same
time he was making decisions about troops going into harm's way.

McDonough also was director of strategy for the Office of National
Drug Control Policy during the Clinton Administration before being
appointed by Bush in 1999 to head the governor's drug control office.
He's a published author, having written three books, including one,
Platoon Leader, that was made into a movie.

On the Net: Department of Corrections: www.dc.state.fl.us