LIFE AND TIMES OF A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER
By R. Mark Shepard

(Chapter 1)

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, the Job of Correctional Officer - means ANYONE who is Male or Female, young or old, Black or White, Short or Tall, weak or Strong, in the mind or of Stature, who may join the Department of Corrections.

NOW, don't get me wrong, some of these Higher-Ups have an understanding of what it is like to work on a prison yard, facing 600 to 900 Angry Convicts, or inmates who don't care if they hurt, mane or even kill you: Or to be inside the walls of a confinement unit being confronted on a One-to-One basis with an angry, out-of-control Convict or Inmate.

And then there are those Higher-Ups who make the BIG decisions, those Who have Never, Ever stepped Foot on a Prison Yard in their life.

These are the Educators, and the Scholars, with so much education and knowledge that they are promoted to the Administrative Level Positions, and these people out there are supposed to know what's best for us inside the prison Fences and Walls. These people will tell the everyday Correctional Officer what to do, and how to do it.

These Higher-Ups will tell new officers that they will be trained to be the best, and that, if they do not meet the Requirements established by the Guidelines that have been set forth, they will not make it.

But what they do not tell you will not hurt you, RIGHT? As long as you have a piece of paper with your name on it saying that you graduated from some High School, or some sort of night course, YOU WILL BE HIRED!! If you can walk, talk and have no Felony Convictions [in some cases], you will basically be hired on the spot.

Yes, there are some things you must pass before being hired on as a Correctional Officer; There's the predictable Drug Test, and let's see... That's about it.

Unlike most states that put candidates through Law Enforcement Schooling before they take their first step behind the prison Fences or Walls, the Florida Department of Corrections will interview you for the job, hire you, send you to get your Uniform and then tell you to report the next day for duty. Or, in some cases, if they are really hurting for warm bodies, OOP's, I should say, Correctional Officers, they will tell you to "Report at Midnight, and see the Shift Supervisor".

Most of the time the Higher-Ups forget to tell the Shift Lieutenant or Captain that they will have NEW Trainees on Shift, or maybe they just didn't get that sticky note.

With no Prior Knowledge or training these New Correctional Officers are given their assignments, and told to go to work.

Now, even if you don't have any prior knowledge of Corrections or what it is all about, or what it is period, they tell you that this job is all about Rules and Regulations, but you must understand, that it is Basically and Mainly about common sense First. Then you and the others can follow the rules and regulations. It is about Verbal Communication, and the other part of the job is all a HANDS-ON type of environment. During the course of this book, hearing some of the outlandish stories, which in fact are TRUE FACTS, you will understand why I Boldly Write "HANDS ON".

This job is not for the weak of Heart or, as my Partner, Sgt. Tom would say, If you are the least bit afraid of seeing a fight, or being in a fight, or seeing Blood, whether it is yours or someone else's, worried if you are going to get your teeth kicked in or get stabbed, or get Feces or Urine thrown on you, or get your Guts Stomped on, Sgt. Tom will say, you are weak, and you will be known to some as having "Uterus of the Heart". GO HOME, QUIT, because you will not Make it. You are just another warm expendable body for the Department Of Corrections.

The safety of the public is the Mainstay of the Department of Corrections. To make sure that ALL of the Inmates, and convicts are always locked up behind the miles of Razor wire and Fence. Besides maintaining a secure accurate account of all inmates.

Control of Inmates in the most important Tool of your job. After all, the ratio of inmate Versus Officer is only 27 or 35 to 1, and that depends on how many officers are on the Prison Yard at one time. Then the Ratio jumps to 70 or 80 to 1, or more.

CONTACT MARK SHEPARD
markshepard2003@yahoo.com

(Chapter 2)

LIFE AND TIMES OF A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER
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