NORTHAMPTON — Capt. Eric Jacque’s philosophies as a corrections officer are seemingly simple and very precise: “Get them out on the street in better condition than they came in,” and “Care. Custody. Control.”

These are quite literally award-winning slogans, now that the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction corrections officer of almost 30 years had been formally recognized by the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association as one of two supervisors of the year. Jacque was recognized in a ceremony held at the State Capitol in Boston on Nov. 19, with more than 250 participants in attendance.

There are 10 categories of awards based on job description, each with no more than a few recipients, and Jacque earned the supervisor honor along with Lt. Heath Carafa of Essex County.

In his role as a corrections officer, Jacque walks through the Northampton jail’s 140,491 square feet of space daily. He knows every detail of the prison’s population, which usually numbering under 150 people. Jacque provides oversight of facility operations and ensures policies and procedures are followed by both staff and inmates.

Jacque was nominated for the award by his boss, Sheriff Patrick Cahillane, for his exemplary service and commitment, particularly his leadership at the outbreak of COVID-19, as well as in the wake of the pandemic when he played a leading role in restoring programming.

In the first three months of the pandemic, through May 2020, there were 20 COVID cases identified at the Hampshire County Jail. After May 2020, the facility went more than 500 days without a case, due largely to restrictions and adjustments made by Jacque.

“We all remember what happened at the Veterans Home in Holyoke ... Being the type of facility we are, I think we did a good job keeping the population safe,” Jacque said.

During the pandemic, in addition to rigidly mandating masks and enforcing temperature checks, inmates weren’t allowed to use the dining facilities, but instead ate in their blocks. Returning to communal meals in the dining hall had been a priority for Jacque, and spearheaded a return to the dining hall once the pandemic was over.

“It’s important to be able to see them all here everyday. It’s somewhere I could see the whole population. It’s good to interact with them,” he said.

Visitations, even appointments with attorneys, were forbidden, and the jail instead built up its digital infrastructure to allow for video calls, which are now allowed as an option in addition to in-person visitation.

Jacque, who grew up on his family farm on South Pleasant Street in Amherst, has held the title of captain since 2012 and has worked full time at the corrections facility since he graduated college in the early 1990s, after working two summers and completing an internship.

“I was a criminal justice major. I was fresh out of college and I knew my experience from here was all positive. It was new coming from a family farm into a place like this but I always thought I had a good work ethic and what not ... so here I am today.

“I knew what I was getting into, I knew shift work. I knew what was going to be expected of me to work here, and I was prepared for it.”

Jacque is in an industry in which it’s a good thing if he never sees his “customers” again.

“Many of them [inmates] we don’t see again. You go ‘ahh! we haven’t seen them.’ When they don’t come back we say that’s a good thing,” Jacque said.

Jacque, however, enjoys coming back day after day.

“I love coming to work. It’s a great place to work,” noting that he’s never felt threatened on the job.

“I’ve never felt unsafe ... it’s about hyper-vigilance all the time,” he said, which includes knowing the personal backgrounds and gang affiliations of the people in custody to prevent potential violent flare ups.

“We interact with them all day long. They’re people too,” Jacques said, noting that those incarcerated have made bad decisions, but they aren’t bad people.

“It can be circumstances that land them here ... you know, not everybody has caring parents, or look at the person who came here with a third grade education,” he said.

A big part of increasing inmates’ condition while in the corrections facility is ensuring that they can find employment when they leave, which is why the jail offers several opportunities to learn a skill, including vocational training and culinary skills.

“They can learn, then they can apply it on the street,” he said during a recent interview, while walking through the jail’s woodworking shop where people learn to frame houses and the “lost art” of caning chairs.

This time of year, there is special attention given to the emotional states of those who are incarcerated, who are often more prone to depression before the holidays, Jacque said.

“Around the holiday times oftentimes some inmates can be depressed,” he said. “We’re very diligent, but we need to be even more diligent around the holidays.”

That effort fits his motto of “Care. Custody. Control.”

As for words of advice, Jacque said: “Put your best foot forward everyday. Do the right thing. Think about something before you do it. Don’t make a knee-jerk reaction, but look at the totality of the circumstances.”

Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com