No I don’t but I do think your view is very bias. You see if I were to apply your stereotypical thinking towards correctional officers to that of the inmate population I would have to view you by every fault I have seen over my carrier in every inmate. I would rather hope you are part of the percentage that dose get their lives together after they do their time.

Now you summed it up quite nicely there is a very low standard for getting hired in as a correctional officer. They have in fact in the last few years lowered the requirements for new recruits. There have been many new recruits who have been let go simply for down right stupidity. This is because the state is having a hard time finding people willing to do this job. Simply put this generation of Americans tend to be lazy, feel entitled, and lack good work ethic.

Now that aside correctional officers have a long laundry list of policies we must memorize and enforce. We are responsible for the areas we watch and the actions of not only ourselves but also the inmates we are assigned to supervise. This also covers how we react to any events that happen in our assigned areas. To step into a prison you take on a lot of legal liability. This doesn’t cover the physical dangers either. You also sign up for stress at levels that can induce panic attacks at times. This is a unique job and there are days I look at it and think damn today was easy and think I made good money doing very little. Then the next day might be one of those days where I rethink my occupation and question if I want to stay for the penitence the state pays. Sadly this job changes every day its not like one where you sit on a line and put bolt B-2 in hole B-2 in between breaks. There are days I do not get to eat my lunch. There are days I do not get to sit. There are days where I can get by with doing the bare minimum. But to sit back and state that every C.O. is worthless and a waste of tax dollars is just as far off base as saying that they should earn a six figure salary. The reality is its a rough job that must be done and they have to pay better then stocking shelves at a store or flipping burgers if you want to get people worth a crap. If you hire worthless staff in this job you cant keep enough people to even run an institution.

Can’t speak for other states, but in North Carolina state prison, the only requirement to be a correctional officer is a high school diploma or GED. Unfortunately, lots of scumbags meet this criteria.

And yes, if you must know, I just did 27 months in state prison. Trust me, I know what you guys do for a living. Do you now look at me as less of a human being? Typical.

Sadly there is truth in it all. There are sad sacks of crap that do nothing but eat corn chips. If we are lucky they will wipe the grease on their pants rather then leave it on the keys and phones in work areas. There are also the other people who pull twice their weight so that the institution keeps running properly. The previous posters have said it already. The reason our occupation is portrayed in such a way is for sensationalism. Currently there is a similar issue local law enforcement agencies are facing very similar to subject of this current thread. You hardly ever see on T.V. when a cop stops an altercation and no one is injured. There are thousands of incidents that happen every day where they are handled with minimal injury in a professional manner. These stories rarely make a 10 second slot on the news if at all. Then you have a few incidents like 1-2% of all incidents at most that are mishandled they make national news for weeks or months. My institution had an escape attempt a few years ago and it was stopped without injury. The inmate was convicted. There wasn’t even a at-a-boy given. We are in a thankless job but it must be done and sadly most people don’t know that most of us lowly officers have degrees. This will not change unless people are force fed this information. Just hold your head high do what needs done and hold yourself to a higher standard.

REWIND, Sounds like you’re a little bitter, do some time did ya? I do a good job as a CO it’s just a job. If people think I’m a low life thug let them think it. The media has to make money and are they going to sell movies and TV commercial time, no one wants to watch a CO that is doing a good honest job. You need Drama and all that goes with it. That’s why scripted crap reality shows stay on they add too them to make them sell, real life is boring. Most if not all of my co-workers have college degrees or post law enforcement training. Of course to be a lieutenant or captain here I think the criteria is ADD/ADHD or some type of learning disability. Just because you’re a doctor, lawyer, truck driver by trade it doesn’t mean your any good at it. So rewind go hate on someone else I know life dealt you a bad hand and I’m sure none of it’s your fault because most Sociopaths see it that way. I bet you would be great at planting two lips.

rewind,
where exactly do you get your information regarding the duties of a Correctional Officer? Many counties and states require a degree in Law Enforcement so I can only assume that your opinion of cops is the same. Corrections is a money losing trade, but that is not the fault of the CO who has a job to do. I find your ignorance and or stupidity very amusing. You sound like one of those cowards who bashes law enforcement until you are scared and are in need of help.

What exactly is your complaint? CO’s are dumb, lazy, ignorant and apathetic – that’s why you’re a CO and not a doctor or an engineer. What do you want, an award for counting inmates and sitting around eating junk food? You’re not doing anything to help society – actually, people like you only compound problems in our society by causing inmates to become even more angry and dysfunctional than when they went in, and eventually these people get released back into society with your precious women and children.

The reality of correctional officers is actually worse than how they’re portrayed in TVs and movies, so don’t worry. If people actually knew what their tax money was being used for, you would have already lost your job.

Dt, you know as well as most of us here on these forums had an idea what we signed up for to be correctional professionals I am with you on being tired of this continuing and deliberate misrepresentation of Correctional Officers and jail/ Prison environments But as the Sheepdogs of society we knew the sheep would treat us like the wolves when they don’t immediately need us, but when they do all of a sudden they praise us as their saviors, and we are!! So when i got into this business I accepted the role and take the little praise we get, revel in it , then fight back the misrepresentations the rest of the time. I’m with you brother and feel your frustration. NOTE: OINB those are really hot female inmates, damn I wish our jails didn’t look like medusa and act like 3 years old.

The majority of the people have to have someone to look down on, be it Correctional officers, Security officers, Fast food workers, Sanitation workers and so forth. It makes them fill better about themselves. The entertainment industry just capitalizes on this for ratings and in the process, perpetuates the stereotype that’s placed on us.

Wow that did not post the way I typed it. Damn. Looks terrible all run together…

While watching tv I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. I watch a pretty narrow scope of shows ie justified, sons of anarchy, and the bridge (just to name a few). On these shows they have featured parts that have been in correctional facilities. Every time they do they show corrections officers as dirty or corrupt, if not just completely incompetent. AND orange is the new black takes a giant crap all over our proffesion as well, if you’ve seen it then Mendez…… WTF!!!??? I understand that sensationalism sells and that stories about correctional staff being all of the things mentioned before surface on a regular. I mean if you’ve been doing this job for awhile then I’m sure you’ve got stories, we all do.