Wasted Honor -- - Say What you Need To Say......: Correctional Officers

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, January 9, 2014

Correctional Officers – Criminal minds?

Here is the video if you don't want to read it - YOUTUBE

There appears to be a trend on television and the movies where the cops are portrayed to have criminal minds in order to learn present themselves as capable nemesis of the criminals. In fact you might even go as far as saying that many of today’s correctional officers are working and learning how to deal with the criminal minds by seeking a job within the jails or prisons and use them as training grounds for the criminal psyche that is overwhelmingly present there.

It is true that being a correctional officer often leads to other opportunities in the criminal justice system as many seek employment with police agencies and as well as other federal bureaus that specialize in dealing with the criminality of human behaviors. This kind of experience seems to add layers of knowledge and experience into the prisoner’s mind or character and bolsters their ability to manage their behaviors.

One of the most distinct characteristic of a correctional officer turned cop is the fact that all criminals are considered the “enemy.” It is the mentality that is fostered or nurtured inside a jail or prison and never leaves their awareness levels. Treating someone as the enemy calls for certain characteristics or personality changes and working as a correctional officer can in fact bring those attributes to life.

Learning and leaning into the criminal minds allows better situational awareness and assessment skills. Since the culture allows or requires certain types of behaviors condoned or accepted as a norm the adjustments can range from heavy use of profanity to tattoos and hiding your background with secrets that won’t reveal who you really are. It’s a strategy that allows you to show no weaknesses and gives the enemy no leverage in manipulating you into a compromise.

The main focus of this training ground mentality is to become a skilled cop with the ability to create and understand the mindset of the criminal. In some cases, the lines get blurred and the behavior mimics those of the criminal they are investigating or tracking while trying to solve a case. In fact some get so good as prison officers or cops that they understood the mindset, movements, motives and behavior to become proactive in their mannerism of supervision or problem solving.

At the same time they learn to be mystic about their own behaviors with their supervisors and co-workers as they become somewhat rogue in their thinking patterns and often decide solo whether or not some kind of corrective action is needed in certain situations. These blurred lines of thinking can get a correctional officer or police officer in trouble quickly if they don’t stray away from the rules too far.

So as it exists, jails and prisons are great training grounds for human and criminal behaviors while honing in on your own characteristics to deal with the criminal mind. Knowing how to improve your own psyche is a strong element of surviving and should be done with caution as you are tempted to try things that may be out of your span of control or authority.

Thus we can surmise that learning the criminal mindset will improve your communication skills, problem solving techniques and other manifestations of the criminal elements. You may learn how to act changing your facial tics or speech, mannerisms or dress when not in uniform, or even ink yourself to understand the role and behaviors more deeply as you delve into the type of behaviors that reflects a criminal lifestyle but with an open interpretation for doing it on purpose and learning how to deal with prisoners, criminals and other deviants.

This conversion of behaviors is with high risk as it may lead you down a self-destructive path or make you better at reading the criminal’s mind. The way you take responsibility for yourself and your actions determine the risks you take when making this transformation on or off duty. It could in fact become a beast within yourself that may be hard to manage if let loose.

In other words, if you don’t manage your own behaviors it might bite you in the butt and blow up in your face creating both moral and legal consequences for such conduct or misconduct. The line is based on your risk taking behaviors and your willingness to cross the line.