Topic: Letter of The Law / Drug Testing Employees

We pretty much have no testing. I’d be all for it. I mean if you have nothing to hide right?

Topic: A Broader View / A Correctional Sense of Humor

Bit of an old thread revival but Campi’s last post is so true. I both like the fact my BS meter is higher than the average persons and don’t like it, something to be said about ignorance is bliss as it can be very aggravating (and sad in a pitiful way) when someone is professing some truth or story to you despite you pointing out its flaws. My brother in Law is a con artist / Fraud guy (can’t choose family I guess…) and we don’t even see him much anymore because it so painful every time he opens his mouth.

As for he dark humour, I can get away with it a little around the family meals as my father was a cop so at least two of us get a laugh about it.

I recall a death in custody. We had just finished up getting the body out and preliminary investigation when the next 8 hour shift guys came onto the unit. They asked how the day had been and I could not help myself in my reply….“Eh, pretty dead!” Nope, there is no such thing as “Too Soon” in Corrections.

Topic: The Club House / My Research for Information

Late reply but I do have the displeasure of now working in a sex offender “treatment” unit. This comes with extra training etc to deal with these lovely folks. what info you can find will vary depending where you live. What you can do about it is pretty much nothing besides make sure you are aware him and keep an eye out and tell others to do the same. It might be little comfort but if his offence is against a teenager then chances are lower he will target a child under 12. Most wont venture younger then puberty. If he offended against an adult then the risk for you 3 year old is likely even lower.

Topic: Everything Education / Can i get into corrections??

So many States, who knows how they all assess for sure. In general with your juvenile record it will matter how you approach it to them, can show how you’ve changed and matured? A bad driving record might not seem like a big deal for a job you may not do a lot of driving for but it says something about you, possibly that you don’t learn your lessons, so how can an employer be sure you’ve learned your juvenile lessons? Even if they are ok with what you’ve done you have to keep in mind how big the hiring pool might be. If they have one or more guys just as qualified but no records ever, chances are you’re out.

Topic: The Club House / Total newbee

Good luck, be safe. Not turning complacent is the hardest part of the job. The fact this or that ‘never happen’ is because someone is doing their job, not because it will never happen.

Topic: Security Central / Maximum security for former COs

I have had one former CO in a unit I worked in and he was in isolation. Granted he was only locked up for a few days. I’ve had two cops in General Population as well. The cops did surprisingly well actually. I would be more worried about former COs since they could be sharing information about how things are run and how to screw with us that the average con would not know about.

Would not bother me if he / she was having a rough go of it in seg or isolation as there is no way he could not say he did not know he could end up there doing whatever he did. Never worry it could be me either because I won’t be on that side of the bars.

Topic: Security Central / Cell Searches

More to the previous discussion when we do searches we cuff the inmates before we open the cells. The searches are down by two officers and one watches the inmate while the other searches. This helps avoid the inmate cornering you in the cell and makes it harder for him to pull any weapons or anything he may have hidden on himself before the door is open. One of my past managers tried telling us to do cell “inspections” where on our regular rounds we’d just pop in and take a quick look around the cell while the inmates were all out on the range. This never flew with staff and the order was basically refused. She tried saying it was not dangerous then I found a recent (at the time) story of a CO getting shanked somewhere in the northern US while doing one of these things and when his partner went to help him he was swarmed by inmates just freely mulling around. We asked her what the Union would think of the article and she never brought it up again. It should be noted we are not issued vests in the institution for regular duty.

Topic: Security Central / Cell Searches

First of all check if your prof will allow this forum as a reference. Technically you can’t be sure anyone here works in corrections as there is no vetting. I had profs who would frown on that. Is it possible to interview someone at a local jail for you?

That said, and then for what it is worth if we did not do cell searches the inmates would simply collect all kinds of things they should not have from extra food which is an issues for: health, rot, and smell issues as well as issues with stockpiling for planned riots etc. Weapons which are an issues for everyone and drugs which are not just a danger to them but most of all to officers as dealing with a drugged up inmates is much dangerous than one who is not. These are just some of the reasons we have to search cells that pop into my head off the top.

You mention the project is called about “Correction Officers Should Not Conduct Warrantless Searches.” The title is confusing to me as we don’t require a warrant to do them. Now I’m up in Canada so can’t speak to laws in the US however we operate and incarcerate under the Corrections Act which gives us power to search anyone or anything at anytime on the jail property. Once you go to jail or even if you are not an inmate and enter a jail you are under another set of laws and some of your rights on the street are not the same. This applies more for inmate than visitors but for example I can still stop and search a visitors car on our property without any reason other than I feel like it whereas police on the street need at least some reason.

The short answer is we don’t need a warrant because the inmates do not own the cells, we do. I hate to use the analogy but if you are in a hotel and the management wants to search your room they don’t need permission from you (at least up here) since they are just searching their room. In the same way we can search inmate’s cells. We can just go a bit further but also searching their personal belongings whereas the hotel could not go through your bags.

Not sure if that makes sense or answers your questions.

Topic: The Club House / A sad state.

Irish

I’d rather they fix the justice system first. we’ve got a great system that says one can’t have consecutive sentences which means if you kill one guy you might as well kill five more because you can never get more than 25 years in prison. That’s just one example.

Topic: The Club House / Starting Career in Corrections

I don’t believe private industry should be allowed in law enforcement of public safety functions like corrections, police etc. Are private jail experiment in Canada about 10 years ago (MDA company from the states I think?) saw them given the boot and rejected at the time by a number of other provinces.

Either way I was wondering if anyone could give me an example to how pay and training in these private facilities compares (dollar for dollar) to government run ones in the same state?

Topic: Everything Education / Informational Interview

Well said bbrown!

Topic: Health & Wellness / Correctional Staff and Their Unwillingness to Learn Defensive Tactics.

If you can’t go more than 5 – 8 years without getting a new conviction for something then it should be a red flag to recruiters. Worse is positive drug tests in the last 3 years. No one wants a buy on drugs having access to manipulative convicts. IT is bad enough clean COs end up smuggling in drugs now and then. You would look like a risk. Just being honest as someone who worked in background investigations for federal employees.

As mentioned, maybe a private outfit. They have such high turn over I hear they might be more desperate.

Topic: The Club House / Looking For Advice

Cut off dates for applicants with corrections experience seems a bit silly. Maybe for those with no law enforcement background. Then again up here in Canada it is illegal to give age cut offs.

There are some advantages to hiring mature applicants, besides any experience they might bring. Many of them will have established families already and often see this as a second career to take them to retirement .Meaning lower turn over than those younger guys who might be restless and just leave to try something else or move to policing or something else.

Topic: Everything Education / New Officer

Threaten to cut their TVs at night or every minute over 2300 hrs they are not locked in gets taken out of their rec / gym time has always worked for us.

Topic: A Broader View / Employment in Corrections...

SHAKEY: Yes Molson is still made and has it’s HQ in Canada however it is owned by a US company which I think is called Molson-Coors. Local breweries up here often have better beers these days. I myself became a fan of German beer while living in Berlin.

I’ll echo what the last couple posters said and give a link I always find amusing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfm_upp_c40

Topic: Health & Wellness / Correctional Staff and Their Unwillingness to Learn Defensive Tactics.

Co-worker had an inmate in the office for a personal call today and when he told the guy his time was up the inmate snapped out of the blue and threw the phone at the officers head and started going ape sh@t.. Verbal de-escalation skills (by whatever name) won’t always help you out. As other posters have said. Some get lucky and never have to use force. But some get unlucky and have to. In my opinion much of the job is about being prepared for that one in one thousand chance something real bad is going to happen. Best to be prepared for it if your number is drawn. You can always talk to him after he’s hooked up in the restraint chair.