PRISONER EXPRESS

The main quality a prospective officer needs is awareness that, even though we may have broken the law, we are still human beings with an innate desire for respect. Prisoners are required to follow every order from a guard or face "hole time" (isolation) or sometimes beatings. Many officers abuse this unmercifully. However, a good corrections officer will at least give the illusion of free will and respect. Instead of saying, "Hey you, sweep and mop the dorm floor now!" An officer could say, "Would you mind sweeping and mopping the dorm floor?" Both are orders yet one leaves the prisoner with the illusion of respectability. There are ways to tell someone to go to hell and have him look forward to the trip. To be a good officer, this talent is vital.

Another important quality is professionalism. If the officer is having problems at home, those problems need to stay at home. Just because the prisoners are under the officer's complete control does not mean the prisoner is his or her personal "whipping boy". By the same token, do not ask our opinions or advice on a given situation. Not only does that erode the prisoners/officer separation, but it also shows a lack of good sense. Judging from where the prisoner is, his or her judgment is basically flawed to begin with. The officer and prisoner need to remain aloof from one another to maintain discipline. Neither the officer nor the prisoner needs to discuss personal situations with the other.

Finally, the officer needs to get it out of his or her head that the future of society rests upon his or her job. It does not. The officer is a glorified zookeeper, charged with keeping us behind the walls until we have "paid our debt to society". Do not try to psychoanalyze us to see why we are they way we are. Do not try to impress your religion upon us to make us better people, should we ever get out of prison. Do not try to cow us with superior numbers into being even greater slaves than we are. At the prison I am assigned to there are 1,420+ prisoners compared to 250+ staff members. If any altercation started, at the beginning it would be 6 to 1 odds against the staff. Eventually we would lose, of course, but prisoners have long memories.

There are many other aspects that make for a good corrections officer, but, in my opinion, these are the most important. Remember that we are human beings and act accordingly. It is not that difficult. Thank you for reading my little ramblings.