Being a correctional officer is stressful all by itself.
Making things more complicated than they already are makes it a tough job to
do. Dealing with the negative impulses or impacts that surround them while on
the job and giving them little peace of mind off the job. Thus they carry it
with them 24 /7 without much relief or satisfaction resulting in early
retirement, resignations or corruptive thinking. Corruption becomes a dirty
word. It is everywhere you look whether you are inside of prison or outside.
The politics related to these kind of corruptible behaviors trickles down from
the top to the bottom and often results in working with assholes as supervisors
or managers. It’s just the reality of the abusive environment but keeping it in
the proper context is the most important decision you can make. It doesn’t have
to be that way and you can change your own environment by not buying into the
concept and staying on course to do your job.
Officers exposed to this negativity never feel comfortable
and take up a defensive position that is often called paranoia. Every day is a
challenge not to let the environment poison them. It doesn’t suit many hence
the high turnover in this particular criminal justice field. It’s just a
reality that prison work is not for everybody and some should think about
getting out before it is too late and something bad happens to them. Those that
can deal with negativity and stress will overcome these barriers and become
good officers.
Learning the ropes at the Academy can be very frustrating.
There are often two different messages told to you while learning the basics of
corrections. There are instructors that tell you how to handle this job by the
book and there are supervisors coming in to guest lecture and tell you to
forget the book and do it another way. This mixed signal often created
confusion and distorts the truth of how to really do your job as a correctional
officer. The truth is when you graduate, the only skill you picked up at the
Academy was to document and cover your ass [CYA] yourself as you will fear being
criticized or ostracized for expressing or performing tasks contrary to
expectations of supervisors and managers set on doing the job their way or the
highway.
The moment you hit the line you find out that teamwork is
just a word. The reality strikes you like a lock in a sock to the head and
makes you realize that officers don’t stick together like it was preached at
the Academy. Getting help is rare and being ridiculed is another way to crush
your spirit as you focus on doing your job right but are hampered by those
wanting you to do it their way. Some will say “get over it” and adjust your
coping skills to get the job done.
Working with prisoners is a dangerous job and it must be
recognized that this beat is one of the toughest in the criminal justice
system. It would be better and safer if there were real team building concepts
in place to ensure better staff safety and environmental concerns. Inmates
would rather hurt themselves than strike out at a correctional officer but the
same can’t be said of a fellow officer or supervisor taking care of business on
a different level or motive.
Because of this
conflict, it is hard not to be disheartened as morale often strikes you down
when there is no one there to pick you up. Don’t take this journey alone and
find support with others that share you plight and remain positive in a most
negative world.
Over the next few months you will experience two things for
certain. You will begin to see if you are fit to work in such an environment
and you will be witness to troubled occurrences where you will see or sense
fellow officers bringing in contraband for the prisoners in those cases where
they have been compromised by their behaviors or ethics. Watching cell phones,
tobacco, drugs and other things come in will frustrate you and alienate you
with some of the officers. You will need to find someone that works on your
level and shares ethical and comparable performance levels that you take pride
in and excel each time you do your job. It’s a survival tool you must engage in
order to refrain from quitting.
Showing up for work will become harder as each day passes.
You will work with individuals that abuse sick leave and show up for work under
the influence of alcohol or not show up at all. You will also see the other
side of some bad supervisors as they look the other way for their friends and
stay away from the line where they could contribute and help but rather sit in
their office and surf the internet as they chat or find columns that resemble
Facebook or Twitter and do everything but work their eight as required. The
good thing is not all supervisors are bad people and will help if you ask them.
You won’t feel safe and you will feel nobody will listen to
your concerns as time whittles away your sleep and robs you of the energy
needed to do a good job. Fatigue and complacency are your two worst enemies.
This is exponentially complicated by stress and anxiety that won’t leave you
alone. It leads you to finding cures in your own way and often results in abuse
of alcohol, prescription drugs or other stimulants or downers not designed to
keep your head clear for good decision making. You must always watched your back
and the back of others because deep down inside you know some of your coworkers were sleeping or playing on their
cell phone or PlayStation smuggled in for personal entertainment. The good news is that these misfits written
about here are the minority and often put on “Shy” status meaning they are no
longer part of the team and with time, they get fired for doing a poor job or
breaking the law.
You will find pleasant redemption in the fact that
approximately ten percent are lousy officers and assholes on the job but many
of the ninety per cent are good and helpful correctional officers that will
take the time to support your efforts while on shift and make the job easier. You
just have to learn to keep things in perspective and apply your own morality
and character to the environment to make it work for you.
The less you worry about those things you can’t change, the
better you do your job and focus on those things that matter and keep you and
others safe. Learning how to adapt, improvise and overcome will strengthen your
character and make you an excellent correctional officer that in time will help
others or mentor those in need for the same support you experienced when you
came on board. Be Safe~
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