Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

What is so scary to me, is many Canadian Prisons are based on American models…but the American models are usually just theory….oh well I practice what i preach :-) g nite US OF A.

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

You Americans are so 2 decades ago…..no wonder you are still arguing race,sex and who to vote for…..

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

People WILL come back over and over…..if all we can do is assist someone to learn to commit less harmful crimes or to learn skills to stay out for longer periods in between bits, that is a far more realistic goal than thinking going to jail once or sitting in a chair in program will be a cure all. Unfortunately our job has no real opportunity for us to see the positive which is why so many officers burn out, give up, become disillusioned with the system and go back to the warehousing mentality. There are random assaults on officers which appear to come unprovoked….sorry to hear your workplace does not support legitimate self defense, but I do know when any incident occurs there are usually indicators prior. I too have been respected and hated for following protocol with inmates and staff! If you read through my posts you’ll see I haven’t said anything about being easy on the convicted, I have thrown out the line of thought that for us to go home at the end of the day healthier and happier, more satisfied with what we do, there are certain attitudes, beliefs and behaviours we as officers need to stop doing. What concerns me is when I see officers behaving more abusively and cruel than the offenders…..that just keeps the cycle of crime going. I too have seen both men and women form inappropriate relationships with offenders, bring in contraband, turn a blind eye to the corruption on the INSIDE, this is what is my biggest beef. As officers and as human beings, I can’t do anything but BE THE CHANGE I WANT TO SEE. That is a whole lot tougher than giving into the status quo and just punishing people because I am miserable and have lost hope. I am not a righteous do gooder and I believe there are many amazing hard working and morally upstanding officers who, like me work to have a safe community, but i am concerned with the spirit of the threads and this is just me being part of conversation. Has anybody on here ever tried to change? Was it easy? Did you want to or have to? Did it help to have people show you the way or push you and berate you if you fell? How open are you to my comments if I do it in a way that causes you to get your back up? This is a great example as to how no one can make anyone else change with force, you have to roll with resistance. I hear people saying they want safer work places, they want to see the inmates learn not to come back, to learn victim empathy, to acquire skills they can use to become contributing members of society, we can make that happen unless we role model how to do that to them….jail is a difficult place to do that, but not impossible. If I really don’t want to see more victims created, then I can’t be in the position to think I can just bully inmates to stop or scare them into change….that is just doing what they do. I want to empower people to grab ahold of there own behaviour because they want to. I feel sad that so many officers make their own jobs much tougher and less effective by wasting energy punishing people rather than doing the job we were meant to by role modeling self disciplne and assisting others in “correcting” their criminal behaviors by teaching alternatives. THAT is hard work.

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

Well most people who make judgements of others sexual preference, spiritual conviction, history of trauma, mental health diagnosis, belittle others with unsurprising and predictable bullying behaviors are usually judged by people like you as offenders….look in the mirror, you are one. Leave the profiling to tv the shows you sit down and watch after a long day in the slammer punishing people you feel are lesser than law abiding folks like “us.”. How many crooks are on THIS side of the bars…..code of conduct is very strict about officer offender behavior, so I could I be THE WHOLE PACKAGE if kindness meant weakness. Caring for others doesn’t have to lead to sexual relationships in any setting jail most definitely. Any good officer has good boundaries…that’s training bro!! Do you even practice what you preach in your institutions? I am glad your time capsule finally opened!

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

Life on the line? Your own ignorance is what makes you a risk to yourself and breach in security to your facility. If you had any interpersonal skills maybe knuckle dragging screws like you wouldn’t get shit blasted on a daily basis. You get respect when you give it. obviously you are unable to connect with your offender population and as a result hold resentment and anger towards them. I suspect you have racist and sexist issues as well. I hope Obamacare is gonna help pay for your heart medication and addictions treatment as a result of your inability to manage your own stress. If you can’t control yourself no surprise you’re fearful of inmates and feel the need to dehumanize them. Get your resume out there before your job kills you :-(

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

I thought this was a community for corrections…seems like your attitude is just part of the problem. Why do you do what you do if you hate it so much? You aren’t helping anyone. Get a new job and allow people with the desire to help society take your place.

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

:-)

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

My line was cast and I caught me a live one!
This my friends is how you find a “hot head, heat score” amongst your ranks!
Inmates don’t need video games when they can push your buttons all day!
Now that is TROLLING LIKE A BOSS!!

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

Ah yes, the pre-contemplative stage of change. They say ignorance is bliss…you my friend must be in ecstasy! Miller and Rollnick would be proud of your skills! You convinced me with all your clever quips and sarcastic charm, tomorrow morning I am going to go straight to work and WHOOP ME SOME CONVICT ASS!! YEEEEHAWWWW! Gawd bless Merika!

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

Oh Irish Assassin, a rose by any other name would smell as….but I digress….no I know nothing about security, other than the fact that knowing your inmate is the greatest form of security in any setting, private sector, state run, linear jail setting, dynamic security, podular remote…whatever you call prison. I know all about gang rivalry, shanks made out of toothbrushes and all other fear based violence. I also know canteen, art programs, music, work and even video games if used mindfully by correctional staff are excellent tools for behavior modification and alleviate inmate idleness which can also lead to incidents and security breaches. As far as helping those on the “outs” I have been a correctional officer in many capacities for over 15 years, worked with men, women and youth…I have even found those I work with community supports and resources to do my part to lower the recidivism rate and protect the tax payers that fund my employ :-). The one thing you and I can agree on, is no one can change unless they are at that stage to make that decision….I am sure you know all about motivational interviewing though….well on that note I bid you adieu…..by the way, do the officers in your state have to know how to spell in order to write reports? Just saying……

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

So while he was sitting there quietly, in jail, doing his time and hopefully attending cognitive behaviourally based programming to help him unlearn criminal thinking, was anyone hurt? Well then sir, your job of maintaining security was made that much easier by Nintendo!! Careful or Super Mario just may be the next Warden! Gone are the days of treating people like garbage in hopes that somehow that’ll make them a better person who will get out and be a law abiding citizen. Treating convicted criminals as though they had no hope only creates more vicious criminals.