Topic: The Club House / How important is Credit?

I think your chances of getting hired are great, there are plenty of credit risk people working in this field. If the question ever comes up just be honest about your situation, we all have had issues in life and I don’t know of anyone who has not.

The most important thing is honesty about your credit history and just in case they hound ya on it, remind them of the national debt we have accumulated!! lol… talk about bad role model, the government mismanagement of our tax dollars is your ace in the hole. Best of luck and pay those student loans down when you can afford to.

I have done this job for over 18 years now and have noticed one sure thing, we are always hiring and if you don’t give up effort you will get what you want.

Topic: Juvenile Jam / Safety of juvenile correction officers and support staff

If I punch you in the face or stab you with a pen will it matter if I am over or under 18? No it will hurt either way so why not allow everyone who is trained and wears a badge on the inside to protect themselves? Simple non leathal tools to help restrain the person or OC spray and Tazer options to stop assaultive behavior. Would a police officer on the outside be denied the right to use their tools in order to protect or subdue the person based on age?

Something like “oh wait I can’t Taze you even though you are going to attack me because of your age”….. yeah right see how that plays out in real life. How many correctional officers have to die before the country as a whole realizes we are fooling ourselves about juvenile offenders and the dangers they bring to a lock up?
As always be safe and watch your back.

Topic: Juvenile Jam / Taser in a juvenile correctional facility?

Juvenile offenders are just as dangerous as adult offenders no matter how ya want to look at it. The times have changed and so has the mentality of how we treat Juveniles. When I worked as a Reserve Police Officer I removed a .45 caliber pistol from a 12 year old kid at the Friday night football game. He said he carried it for protection from other bigger kids and if this 12 year old kid can figure out he needs something to protect himself then why can’t we?

I do not understand the rational of any officer in a prison not carrying a Taser, spray and baton on duty. We kid ourselves by thinking we have control of our enviroment, we are given control by the offenders we watch over. Besides if we are equiped with the proper tools we can manage our inmate populations more effectively, even juveniles know Tazers, spray and batons hurt when applied.

Check out other prisons around the real world, they actually carry guns but in our perfect American bubble we are affraid of guns. We worry way to much about their rights and not our right to protect ourselves in the line of duty. When I was 18 years old in Army I was given a machine gun and taught how to shoot it like a true Infantryman should, but we treat professionals in our field like kids and restrict what they can use in our field???

I agree quit treating these troubled youths like they are innocent because they are not and as always be safe.

Topic: Security Central / Inmates and disposable razors

we issue a single blade razor to each inmate upon arrival and exchange it once a week for a new one. if an inmate is caught with a broken razor or modified one they are held accountable for misconduct and loose razor. we house approximately 432 males and 1200 females with very little issue with razors since they all know consequences of actions, of course there will always be the exception to the rule but that is prison right. Be safe and good luck :)

Topic: The Club House / Pretty Girls... New Hire

I am dissapointed in the advice given on this posting to “be a bitch”??? how is this an acceptable way to role model for new staff who are needing help? how will this make their job any easier? I can almost bet if this is your out look on how to handle problems then you got way more problems in life than work.

When I was in Iraq in the Infantry I taught my men to try and look at things differently in life when you don’t like what you are seeing. Some times it is what we are taught in our past that molds how we look at things in our future. If you see trouble then chances are you will find it and if you see positive outcomes then you will make them happen. Do you think anything can come of acting anti social in a jail setting or state prison, I can almost bet it will be bad any way you slice it.

Please don’t follow negative, anti social advice from a disgruntled employee who thinks her co-workers are perverts. Sorry but you posted your true thoughts and feelings so you opened yourself up to this response.

In closing also remember if you intentionally act in a negative manner towards your fellow employees then you are responsible for your actions of creating a “hostile work environment” and subject to disciplinary action up to termination of employment. It is the person who makes the uniform not the uniform who makes the person, be safe and try being nice you might be surprised what will happen :)

Topic: The Club House / Pretty Girls... New Hire

To Vasilisa, as a Sergeant with 18 years on the job I would suggest you get past what others think of your looks. A professional orginazation will never be concerned with your looks other than are you neat, clean and dressed for the part you are expected to fill.

People will always talk about you when you are new and enter a room in a prison no matter who you are or how you look (cute or not so cute). The key is for you to carry youself with pride, head held high and look people directly in the eye when speaking to or being spoken to. The “how cute she” is syndrome will get old and eventually go away when you prove yourself as a qualified correctional officer who is serious about her job. I always suggest to save the getting dressed up look for when you go out off duty and this goes for both men and women.

As a male working in a female prison/ men’s intake center we get what you are getting now from both staff and inmates. When they make innapropriate comments we are taught to redirect the person who is doing this and hold them accountable. The accountability goes for both inmates and staff, niether one get’s a pass at being stupid. In today’s professional work force we have a high standard to treat everyone with respect and not make them feel less than.

I always try to treat females like I would treat my mother or sister, with respect, courtesy and the expectation they do the same. As far as creating hazards amongst inmates or staff, looks makes no difference plenty of not so good looking staff create just as many issuse as the good looking ones.

Like any issue it can create problems but only if managment allows it and we sit by and do nothing as team members, “responsibility is doing the right thing when nobody is looking” so establish yourself as this type of professional, responsible person and you will go far.

If ya don’t get job down there, open your scope to wide field of view and consider moving we always need good staff, best of luck :)