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Other essays on this theme
Essay: "What Makes a Good Prison Guard"by Roger Hartley Those of us that have been in prison for many years have changed the way we see the staff. Most of them now come for a steady job and the good pay. I don't see them as someone to hate any more, for they are just like the rest of us, trying to live the American dream to be happy. Prisoners and staff do not come to terms with each other sometimes. I used to think prison was not needed, but after 15 years in a level 4 prison (maximum security) I see the need for some of us never to be released from prison. Most of us are not a threat after 10 long years, but due to the one or two that make headlines the rest of us pay the price...
Prison is a place where the staff and prisoners may find out who they are. Some staff lose themselves, but many more of us prisoners do. Most of us lose ourselves due to budget cuts and loss of positive programs. I'm hoping it does not cut into staff training. They need to be trained just a little more. We are all in here like a society. Easy going people and people you just don't seem to get along with are in here. Officers' training seems to reflect that we are the worst there is. Normally after three of four years they find out how to deal with us and that we're not the worst. . I can say the overall staff that works close to us see us differently then those in society. They get to know us. We get to know them as best as we are allowed. The staff officer that comes with an open mind to work the prison normally makes the job easy on himself. The staff officer who thinks we respect him for his uniform is most likely to get himself in trouble with us and have a hard time in his job. I would like to say we treat staff with respect, but I cannot. There is a lot of staff that earn our respect by being fair with us and not just thinking we are no longer a human being with feelings like everyone in society. |