I've been lost for the past couple of weeks in an inner world of reflection triggered by the unnecessary deaths of a kind human being wearing the uniform of a correctional officer and a hero dressed in prisoner garb.  It's been one of those times when the whole of my philosophy is held up to the light and I see the rough edges.

My self-examination stems from my involvement with the Charlotte CI story, as you can see at https://www.angelfire.com/fl4/prison/charlotte.html.  I have followed the resulting talk of pay raises, but that only raised images of handing money to criminals pretending to be 'correctional' officers;  I outright rejected the concept of a pay raise without remembering the real 'Correctional' Officers; those professionals who aren't running scams, roughing up inmates unnecessarily, or stealing the company blind.

"Being professional inside the walls of Florida's prison system is a chore. What some consider to be professional is no more than illegal. Money will always be an issue, everywhere.

I've done this job for so many years now. I have seen inmates come and go. Yes, I have seen them return on really minor probation violations, etc.

I have seen staff come and go as well. I've worked/ with/for some really unprofessional Supervisors and CO's. I've worked with/for some really intelligent Supervisors and CO's. I've outlived I don't know how many Wardens, Asst. Wardens, Colonels, Majors, etc.

I am sure I will get many who disagree with me. That is OK. Feed them, teach them and be an example to them is the only way to run a prison.

Show an inmate that they will be held accountable for their actions. Maintain order in a lawful manner. Education, reform, life management skills, work release programs and counseling sessions should be MANDATORY inside an institution. Group counseling should be routine along with Drug/alcohol classes and if the inmate is not HS educated a GED program should be enforced. This goes for Life Sentences to sentences of a year.

Beating, Cussing, withholding food are not ways in which to be professional. It's time for the "Good Ole Boys'" ways of doing things to go. Our job is to maintain order and ensure public safety. Now, how some will exercise this while on duty is another story!" An Officer

When I talked about overworked officers, I made the hasty generalization that all employees not responding to an inmate's needs were slouchers. I still believe respect breeds respect in nearly every case, but if I stand for a moment in the shoes of this officer, I can see there's a bigger picture to be seen:

"Another dynamic of the job is inmate demands.  You mentioned ignoring inmates who ask for toilet paper.  In all honesty, inmates tend to be extremely rude-- often childlike in their ill manners.  Imagine working as the only waitress in a restaurant with 240-customers.  Now imagine each customer shouting "Give me." (I'm not going to mention that some of the 240-customers would kill you without compunction) 

I always give the inmate his roll of toilet paper, inmate request form, callout form, over-the-counter medication, pass to the law library,  pass to medical or any one of nearly a hundred things that they are entitled to on demand.  Except that I insist that they first say "Please."  An Officer

When I questioned the 'courage' it takes to do the job, I failed to feel the frustration of Officers subjected to the dangers of working with desperate inmates that bad guards and bad policies have riled.

"Unquestionably, many "guards" see themselves as punishers, others are control freaks.  Those individuals clearly need weeding out.  Working the prison beat is rife with temptations.  Some "guards" are venal and corrupt.   Others are merely weak and vulnerable.  The pay is low.  I won't even get into the dynamics of throwing a male into a house full of sex starved female inmates."   An Officer

I failed to take into account that thoughtful officers are dealing with an administrative conflict between the need for rehabilitation and the desire for punishment.   

"The general public does not give a damn about prisons or what happens inside them. They just want these people to stay inside the fence." An Officer

~*~*~*~*~*

"You also have external politics.  Many in the public are fed-up with crime and want for the system to make inmate lives miserable." An Officer  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You are correct.  Too few programs and rehabilitative opportunities exist for inmates.  Also, administrative paranoia is rife: the reasoning for limiting or banning body building, boxing, baseball, or work shops." An Officer 

I had to be reminded that real officers are caught in the middle of it all.

"Too bad you couldn't wear the brown uniform for a day and put in charge of 240-inmates by yourself.   Maybe then you can experience the self-centered demands of 240 convicted felons and feel the heat of an administration that expects you to have them behaving like West point Cadets. 

Corruption goes right up to the White House, so let's not single out correctional officers. I agree that the pendulum has swung way to far to the right after the permissive, soft-on-crime, Sixties and Early Seventies.  Nevertheless, that's a different issue that deals with a whole new set of bureaucracy and officials."  An Officer

I'm left with so many questions: What can the department do to hire, train and keep good Officers?  What would sway new employees to become 'correctional' officers rather than guards?  What will convince bad guards that punishment has a breaking point and when they pass that predictable point, the resulting fear and rage in prisoners will result in a recoil that will get a lot of people hurt?   How can we help the public understand that their safety lies in rehabilitation so that legislators feel encouraged to enact more productive policies?

What can people like me do to support the good officers without encouraging bad guards? 

Kay Lee
kaylee1@charter.net
4900 Olson Drive
Eau Claire, WI  54703
715-831-0076

---

I've posted some of the employee responses that impressed me at https://www.angelfire.com/fl4/fci/professionals.html

IS THE SOLUTION MORE GUARDS?
https://www.angelfire.com/fl4/fci/moreguards.html

MTWT Prison Index
https://www.angelfire.com/fl4/prison

Kay Lee
kaylee1@charter.net
4900 Olson Drive
Eau Claire, WI  54703
715-831-0076