Wasted Honor -- - Say What you Need To Say......: Correctional/Detention Officer

Wasted Honor -

Carl R. ToersBijns is the author of the Wasted Honor Trilogy [Wasted Honor I,II and Gorilla Justice] and his newest book From the Womb to the Tomb, the Tony Lester Story, which is a reflection of his life and his experiences as a correctional officer and a correctional administrator retiring with the rank of deputy warden in the New Mexico and Arizona correctional systems.

Carl also wrote a book on his combat experience in the Kindle book titled - Combat Medic - Men with destiny - A red cross of Valor -

Carl is considered by many a rogue expert in the field of prison security systems since leaving the profession. Carl has been involved in the design of many pilot programs related to mental health treatment, security threat groups, suicide prevention, and maximum custody operational plans including double bunking max inmates and enhancing security for staff. He invites you to read his books so you can understand and grasp the cultural and political implications and influences of these prisons. He deals with the emotions, the stress and anxiety as well as the realities faced working inside a prison. He deals with the occupational risks while elaborating on the psychological impact of both prison worker and prisoner.

His most recent book, Gorilla Justice, is an un-edited raw fictional version of realistic prison experiences and events through the eyes of an anecdotal translation of the inmate’s plight and suffering while enduring the harsh and toxic prison environment including solitary confinement.

Carl has been interviewed by numerous news stations and newspapers in Phoenix regarding the escape from the Kingman prison and other high profile media cases related to wrongful deaths and suicides inside prisons. His insights have been solicited by the ACLU, Amnesty International, and various other legal firms representing solitary confinement cases in California and Arizona. He is currently working on the STG Step Down program at Pelican Bay and has offered his own experience insights with the Center of Constitutional Rights lawyers and interns to establish a core program at the SHU units. He has personally corresponded and written with SHU prisoners to assess the living conditions and how it impacts their long term placement inside these type of units that are similar to those in Arizona Florence Eyman special management unit where Carl was a unit deputy warden for almost two years before his promotion to Deputy Warden of Operations in Safford and Eyman.

He is a strong advocate for the mentally ill and is a board member of David's Hope Inc. a non-profit advocacy group in Phoenix and also serves as a senior advisor for Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council in Chino, California As a subject matter expert and corrections consultant, Carl has provided interviews and spoken on national and international radio talk shows e.g. BBC CBC Lou Show & TV shows as well as the Associated Press.

I use sarcasm, satire, parodies and other means to make you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Correctional/Detention Officer - “I am a Target”

Just a couple of days away from Correctional Officer Week and officers are being blasted by the media for mistakes, misconduct and investigations that reveal corruption and unethical conduct rampant in such places as the Baltimore jail where 13 officers have been arrested for crimes and conspiring to work an organized crime plan inside the very same jail they work in. Leaning in on the media's assault on correctional and detention officers, they blatantly slam all officers for what appeared to be “A shocking indictment of 13 Baltimore prison guards last week is an extreme example of what happens when people on the "lowest rung" of the criminal justice career ladder succumb to corruption.”

The media needs to pump their brakes on this story of corrupt officers and balance the fact that these individuals do not represent the entire profession or performance of the many that do good work. Labeling such officers as “under-qualified, underpaid and virtually invisible” is an understatement that needs to be explored. The media is often quick to crucify officers and blame them for the bad things that happen inside of prisons or large jails. It is common to do so and must stop. There is more to the story and the media needs to be more responsible to report the truth and the whole truth, not just what has been disclosed in one story or investigation. Very rarely do they pursue a story good enough to reveal the very fiber of the breakdown and accept a press release by the administration as good faith that operations will be restored when in fact, the administration might be flawed as well.

These officers are first responders. They save lives and stop many crimes from being committed once a person is incarcerated for a prolonged period of time. They are the invisible cops that hold things together when nobody else is paying attention once they are convicted and sent off to the prison systems that are out of sight and out of mind. The truth is that many officers are assaulted daily while on the job. Carrying no guns and working with inadequate tools of control, they get things done because they have the guts to face their challenges and complete their assignments. They are exposed to bio-hazards that can bring a deadly disease or illness to their families and work under the worst conditions imaginable even for a modern country such as the United States.

Their presence in the dark corridors of corrections makes them truly invisible to the public and even the media but not to those that have stood side by side through decades of professionalism and dedication to keep our communities safe and reduce violent offenders from escaping their custody while getting paid minimum wages to do so. Except for some officers in those heavy unionized states such a California, many do this because the need a job when unemployment is high and the economy is slow.

It would behoove the media to learn more about the positive things correctional and detention officers do in the line of duty. It would make a better story to report the bad and I am guessing that is why the good is rarely reported However, making correctional officers targets of mean and shameful articles is irresponsible and damaging to the profession and the individuals that work there. Writing such quotes made by experts such as Martin Horne who said "Every state and municipality in the country has cut its officer staffing," criminal justice expert Martin Horn told us. "I firmly believe that the result is officers are terrified. One way of keeping themselves safe is aligning with the inmates." is most irresponsible reporting since we are talking about less than 10 percent of the work force this may apply to.

In addition, there is no mention of how the lack of administrative support can foster such criminal behaviors as the focus is always on the officer and not the administration that is responsible for ensuring the management tools for a safe and orderly operation are in good condition and capable of detecting misconduct or neglect in security operations or other elements of the environment. One must balance the view when reporting and making officers target for publicity purposes is a cheap shot when most of them have no real idea what the profession is all about. In fact, it is for certain that their own reporting is biased and skewed to the point where many things are taken out of content or context to make the story more interesting and sell more papers regardless of the truth.