Working in corrections is much like a dance – once
established as an officer you learn how to move rhythmically to the music
prescribed by different mission statements, policies and procedures as well as
various state and federal statutes that dictate the steps, the gestures and the
moves. It is a condition with a set of rules that may vary from location to
countries but regardless an act or a series of motions to perform by.
Everyone that has chosen to work inside
a jail or prison with a badge has danced at one time or another and there is no
secret that the music can be a slow waltz or a rapid tango. It can be standing
far apart or up close and personal. Depending on the conditions within we are
tuned to adjust and handle just about anything that can happen inside the penitentiaries
or jails.
Today there are thousands of brothers
and sisters standing the walls and high fences, staffing state owned and
federal prisons as well as an ever increasing county jails. One transition
varies from another but when it is all said and done, the dance is ever present
and how you move or take your steps depends on the music being performed or
played.
As a retiree I will never hear the
clank of those large brass Folger Adams keys again. However, that doesn’t mean I
don’t wake up with the sound in my head. Not a day goes by with me saying a
prayer for safety of those that have chosen this honorable occupation. I have
danced my last dance but there are many more out there that still hear the
sounds of electronic motors opening and closing heavy steel grills and doors
and staff always on the ready to conduct an emergency count because of
something noticed out of the ordinary.
This article focuses on those real
warriors still inside and the correctional wisdom that exists as it is
hopefully shared and mentored with rookies coming on board. They are deserving
of the best training in a most predacious environment. Once they get used to
the overall sounds of the joint, they will settle in and do a professional job
as they were hired and selected to perform. Historically, prison populations
have risen and dipped as years go by. The pattern or rhythm is dictated by
agency administrators, politicians and lawmakers.
As correctional officers adjust to
these dynamics they are tested every day of their careers and adapt to the
rules of engagement that basically divides an “Us/Them” attitude and a fine
line of demeanor that defines them to be quite distinguished in their
performance. While on the job one must not view the prison population as the enemy
except in cases where conduct and safety issues dictate otherwise. Hence we
focus on being Firm, Fair and Consistent at all times. Even still, use of force
issues are not personalized and are considered an element of our vocation.
Since I came on board we have grown in
cultural diversity and have adapted to accept many different customs and
practices that makes the job even more complex and diverse than ever before. In
the meantime, more female officers have been hired in the workplace that is
volatile and potentially dangerous at any given time. At first hiring female
correctional officers was truly a “lightening rod” situation for topic or a lengthy
conversation but still, time has proven the practice has proven itself to be a respectable
one as it “normalized” over the years.
We are challenged daily with
constitutional, PREA and other federal mandates that conducts how we dance or
play the music. We are still making great strides towards reversing the
trends and behaviors of the past and that are in violations of the code of
conduct and other workplace standards but like every other profession we have
those incorrigibles that don’t belong here and wear the badge. However, the
majority is in concert with the dance.
Some have fallen and danced their last dance but will never
be forgotten as we recognize them as heroes and mentors for many. Unfortunately
the last dance must also include those dynamic forces which engages or
encounters death and dying. The words of the song, the steps and the music all
collect those human emotions that surround the groups or individual’s emotional
responses as well as the appropriate intellectual facts in various dimensions
that brings to them the reality of life.
Thus the dance isn’t just merely to become more efficient
and reliable to the organization. It encompasses every aspect of life whether
on or off the job. Warriors should recognize with the careful precision of
following the required steps of the dance we can also learn new steps to
operate better than basic or fundamental ways. Learning how to dance will also
teach us to be able to move with more flexibility beyond the reactive state of
mind and manage the environment.
In concluding the dance, we have to recognize that there is
a great difference between correctional workers and inmates. Following the
music and dancing to the sounds of this great dance we learn that following
policies and procedures allows us to facilitate operational concerns within the
standards set and make them safe and secure for the staff that work there, the
population and the protection of the general public.
