Biography

Joe S. Barton, M.Ed is a nationally known trainer and motivational speaker and provides training in both the public and private sector. He served as a counselor with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health, subsequently joining the Federal Probation system in 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia.

While with Federal Probation he served as a Mental Health Specialist, Drug Treatment Specialist, and retired as a Supervising U.S. Probation Officer 2002. Joe has also served as a Trainer for the Federal Judicial center and presented mental health related programs to numerous districts throughout the United States. The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) sponsored a Safety Academy (Train-the-Trainer) program between 1997 and 2002 where Joe served as a NIC Consultant and Faculty Member.

Joe continues to provide programs on officer safety and mental health issues to various State and local corrections agencies. Joe is the author of the book The Courage to Care, and was a contributing author to the NIC monograph New Approaches to Staff Safety-Second Edition. He also continues to serve as adjunct faculty at Mercer University in Atlanta where he teaches classes on criminal justice and corrections.