Topic: Economy & Stimulus / A Stimulus Method to Get Out of Recession..

It will never happen in a conservative state. Prison labor effects private industry. I was a work projects supervisor in a work camp for seven years. They are great programs. They develop skills for the offenders, put a little cash in their pockets and their victims got a chunk of the money as well. Everyone wins. I agree work projects in prisons should be expanded. I think prisons should be able to be self-sufficient. They should be able to farm the majority of their food and make their own clothing. There are so many things that could be done.

Topic: The Club House / Right to Work/Unionization

As a former IDOC CO and a current IDOC parole officer I feel your pain. I do however believe that we are adequately represented with our current leadership as it relates to the legislature. Lets pray for some positive action in the legislature this year.

Topic: The Club House / Does work sometimes conflict with home life?

cincyman,
Shakey gives pretty good advice other than the last one sure don’t get caught. Don’t make stupid mistakes and if you do tell on yourself before someone does. I worked in institutions for years. There is supposed to be a brotherhood but in my years inside there was a lot of back stabbing. Most important thing has already been said. Write it down. Talk to your supervisor about either moving the offender or yourself to another unit. In Idaho I could ususally pull some strings and get him moved to another facility all togethor.

Topic: The Club House / Does work sometimes conflict with home life?

I am a probation and parole officer in a town of around 30000. I have to leave my radio at work or I will listen to the city PD and the sheriff’s office radio waiting for the name of one of my people to go across the radio. I will think about work at home instead of other things. I actually have to try to not think about work. God I can’t wait til hunting season.

Topic: The Club House / New Treatment Staff- advice?

Fortunately one way or another we have all been the new guy. I have been the new guy a couple of times I have been a corrections officer a probation and parol officer and a counselor in a male TC. You have the security staff to gain the respect of as well as the programs staff. It is important to be yourself if being yourself doesn’t work in the correctional environment then perhaps you shouldn’t be there. Anyway be yourself watch the officers and the way they interact with offenders watch the treatment staff and see how they interact and find a style that works for you. Mainly to succeed inside the walls you need to be firm fair and consistent always with everyone and you will have a great time.

Topic: Health & Wellness / Physical Conditioning?

Physical conditioning and a good defensive tactics program is one of the most important things that can be taught at the academy. Learning how to deal with offenders is for the FTO program. Most officers after leaving POST receive little DT or physical conditioning due to many reasons given them a solid base to work from will save their lives some day.

Topic: Letter of The Law / Use of Force

As a use of force instructor for my agency I have to disagree with przn boss. What we learn in training is what you will do when the $&@# hits the fan. Which is why we are so careful what we teach officers. This is why we teach things like tactical and combat reloads because we need to make sure we holster a happy gun. It’s a proven fact what you do on the range is what you will do in real life situations.

Topic: Letter of The Law / Use of Force

Squeeze,
Prznboss’ comment makes him sound irrisponsible. The continuum is there to protect us against litigation. It is a basic table that shows what a responsible person would do. It is our responsibility as correctional professionals to use the tools provided. The continuum is just one of them. To operate outside of it would probably find us unemployed.

Topic: The Club House / 20 years and out

rule of 80 is really not that bad. I started with IDOC at age 24 and will retire at 52. Thats not so bad.

Topic: Letter of The Law / Use of Force

In my agency the use of OC (hopefully tazer soon) is employed before you go hands on. If the situation has escalated to the point of being hands on then it has escalated to the point of tazers and or OC.

Topic: The Club House / uniforms for parole officers

We have black 9.11 polos with our embroidered badge on the front and parole agent on the back. We also are issued Kahki tru-spec 24/7 pants.

Topic: A Broader View / Homelessness….a problem for released offenders?

Max,

Having worked both sides of this housing issue I can see several ways to get the word out. One through your blog. I will check out yours and if I like it I will attach a link to my blog. Another is letters to the editor of your area paper. Housing for felons is a hot topic issue in our capital city Boise. I think a philospophical letter to some bigger papers would be one way of letting people know about this potential service and cash cow.

As a PO and as a pre-release specialist I loved folks like you. I worked with a retired CO in Boise who had a house. He would only rent to people on my caseload. They were all graduate out of an intensive drug treatment program. It helped to continue their treatment and community oriented living style after release.

Topic: Letter of The Law / No lunch breaks?

In the institution I worked in if you were held over you would get relieved a few minutes early to take care of issues you may need to address. If you are a smoker you were allowed to leave the facility so that you could smoke. When I worked inside I would much rather do me eight and hit the gate anyway. Now that I am a PO I pretty much set my schedule so it is a non issue.

Topic: Letter of The Law / No lunch breaks?

Thanks Squeeze,

Finally someone whoe isn’t stuck inside of their own agency. Not all agencies are the same being in a right to work state and in law enforcement we don’t get the same priveleges as a unionized agency. No breaks. But we dont get information on offenders medical unless a serious incident were to ocurr and only after the fact. My wife was stuck with a dirty needle at our states max. They told her when the inmate went through intake a year earlier he was clean but they refused to have the offender tested at the time of her stick.

Squeeze what state are you with?

Topic: The Club House / Pay tables

Betty Jo:
Hopefully your legislature will find out the same thing ours did when they threatened to take our pay last year. They Couldn’t do it. Supposedly somewhere in the state constitution were protected. Instead they are making as take 72 hours of leave w/o pay. Thats for parole officers. The CO’s got lucky they only have to take 28 hours.

Shakey:
I feel your pain. Well I will. My spouse is a CO and I am a PO. Fortunately for me I am in the Idaho National Guard so I will take my Leave W/O pay while doing my annual training next summer.

Topic: A Broader View / the economy and corrections

I am curious about the effects of this economy in other states. I know Washington has taken a pretty big hit to their budget. Here in Idaho we have lost quite a bit of our budget and a few positions. Our biggest hits have been with Furloughs. Probation and Parole Officers are all taing 72 hours leave without pay and corrections officers are all taking 28 hours leave without pay.

Topic: Letter of The Law / Personal Phone calls?

I dont work in the institutions anymore and in my new role as a Parole Agent I am attached to a cell phone. I think an 8 hour shift away from a cell phone would be a welcome break.

Topic: Letter of The Law / No lunch breaks?

Illinois,

I have been out of the prisons for about three years now and on the streets but when I left officers went to their unit at the beginning of shift and left at the end. It is the same at every facility in the state. They also require you to be on your post ten minutes early for which you are not paid. There may be federal laws that say it shouldn’t happen that way what I am saying is that this is how it works here. There are also overtime laws out there and they don’t mind by those either. Its been this way for decades and will probably never change.

Topic: Letter of The Law / No lunch breaks?

If you are in a right to work state like Idaho you have no protection and no real recourse so you get what you get.

Topic: Letter of The Law / No lunch breaks?

No breaks in Idaho a strait 8. States don’t have to follow their on labor laws. No joke.

Topic: Letter of The Law / PSIs given to inmates

I have seen offenders with it but only because they got their lawyer to send it in to them. Generally the only reason I see an offender with that type of info is to prove that they aren’t a S.O.

Topic: Letter of The Law / Trying to find a politician to latch onto an idea, any suggestions???

I recently decided I wanted to try and improve benefits for my fellow employees so I started emailing and like you not much of a response. If you know who your local reps are look them up in the phone book thats what I did I chatted with two legislators for at least twenty minutes each about my issue.

Topic: The Club House / Pay tables

How many DOC’s out there are on an automatic pay increase and how many are like us in Idaho at the mercy of the legislature every year?

Topic: The Club House / 20 years and out

Idaho is Rule of 80. Your age and years of service add up to 80 and you get full benefits. For instance I started with my agency at 24 y.o. and can take early retirement at fifty but won’t get full retirement until I am 52. On the down side of that who can afford insurance til their 67 so I guess I will work a few more years.

Topic: The Club House / uniforms for parole officers

The Idaho Dept. of Corrections is instituting a uniform for Probation and Parole Officers. I am curious if other states have a uniform and what they might be. I am already wearing the uniform and like it but am curious if other agencies are doing this.