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

(Chapter 22: Conclusions and Final Thoughts)

One day you are going to sit down and realize that it does take a unique and strange individual to be a Correctional Officer. You will realize that no matter how much time you do working as a Correctional Officer, the environment around you will effect you, and it will make you lose your senses. You will lose your sense of Self-discipline, and Self dignity. You will start talking and thinking like the people that you are around everyday and you will have no purpose and no caring about how the way life should be, outside of the Prison System, just because you are working in the Prison System.

You will start Cursing as Fluently as you think, just like them, and your normal conversation at home or anywhere else will start and end with 'F___ this', or 'F____ that', along with, 'so what', or 'who gives a S___'.  The reality of carrying on that normal conversation will slip away, just as fast as your faith.

No matter how strong you think that your faith in God is, believe this, you WILL slip away, and you WILL Fall, and all of your faith will fall too, because of the environment that you work in here in the prison system. IT will never change, it will make your relationship with your Family that Rocky road you never wanted to go down. All of your frustrations and anxieties will surface, and the monster that takes away your self-respect and self-perseverance will appear from the Hell Hole environment that you work in here in the Prison System.

When you get that job as a Correctional Officer, and you put that shirt on that gives you the power to take control, and maintain that self-discipline, GOOD LUCK!. But don't ever forget where you came from or who you are, because no one will help you , but YOU. Don't worry or fret if you've made a mistake, you're human. You better worry about what goes on around you, and what someone is about to do to you, because it will happen.

If you cannot handle any of the things that you have heard about throughout this book, you will not succeed as a Correctional Officer in the Prison System. Even if you have any doubts about the job, or you think that you are going to change the system to make it a better place to work, and create peace and harmony amongst you and your fellow officers, you are sadly mistaken.

But if you try, you must maintain and take control of yourself, mentally and physically, and hold on to your Beliefs, without losing them, or your Scruples. You must listen to the people who know, and have endured the SO CALLED System, and Survived, and even they do not know all of the answers. You must listen, losing your Faith, losing face with your family and friends is probably the most important thing that you can, and will lose.

It Will happen!

That's how it is in the Department of Corrections.

Written by R. Mark Shepard

CONTACT MARK SHEPARD
markshepard2003@yahoo.com