Ken Bennett's Border Plan video

Click here:

https://compassiononly.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/border-security-ken-bennett-has-the-plan-40000-plus-law-enforcement-on-board-and-committed-to-secure-the-border-working-with-each-other-as-a-network/

Personal Safety inside Prison

My recent comments on personal safety when Associated Press Bob Christie reported the sexual assault or rape of an Arizona teacher has fallen on many deaf ears as their assessment of the dire need to change the way we conduct our security assessments and personal safety issues has become a topic of discussion amongst correctional employees and administration. 

There appears to be a large misunderstanding to determine what is safe and what is unsafe in a potentially high risk and violent environment. Violence inside a prison can take place anywhere. It can happen inside the housing units, the recreation yard, work areas, the infirmary or as demonstrated by the Arizona rape incident, the classrooms. No work should have a risk associated with it as “usual” or “accepted” to go with the job.

We are constantly reminded that our prisoners can and do have history of violent behaviors and must never forgo or forget they may turn violent on a moment’s notice due to well-planned, spontaneous actions or provoked situations. Critical incidents can turn into lethal situations in seconds and security is necessary to deter such ideas or occurrences daily. 

The issue of personal safety can be covered by using basic security habits or procedures to remain safe to some degree. We can escort employees, watch over them by using virtual electronic technologies, lock them in designated areas or control access to areas by using a controlled movement procedures that identifies authorized personnel only in those areas. 

Regardless and no matter what security element we use, we must always have a basic awareness or vigilance about ourselves and others to establish the very basic point of being safe. This is achieved by effectively training you for the job assigned and giving you the tools required to carry out such an assignment. 

Managing risks is a complex and fluid on-going challenge that must be done constantly in order to detect changes in the environment or population. Inspectors or officers should be aware of the variables that may change over time and require adjustments in procedures to attain the level of security to reduce the risks. This is a constant problem inside prisons. 

The visible proof is most populations have become specialized and most staffing has been drastically reduced due to budget constraints or vacancies in the staffing patterns. There should be no discontinuities or weaknesses in such assessments as they provide a window of opportunity for the perpetrator or criminal to attack or plan such an act as taking a hostage, escape or even to commit another crime while incarcerated and striking at another person to kill while already serving time for a crime. 

Specialized populations such as protective custody prisoners, sex offenders, gang leaders and highly disruptive groups require intense security assessments at all times to adjust the risk factors placed within the environment or facility. Remember that institutional adjustments must be made to allow a safe and secure milieu. Personal safety is not an individual dimensional challenge but rather it is a multidimensional challenge that requires the use of many tools rather than just a basic shift or relocation of human resources or other logistic networks designed for safety purposes. 

Basic multidimensional strategies to ensure better safety practices should be designed to give you the confidence you feel safe and allows you to make adjustments in your presence to continue to feel safe throughout the day. 

Personal safety requires you to: 

·         Be aware of your surroundings and find areas that are not blind spots or not within the view of surveillance cameras. Always know the location of the nearest correctional officer and carry a radio in good working order so you can communicate immediately.

·         When possible travel during designated movement times so you are not alone. Walking in pairs or telling others where you are going is a good practice as well as letting them know when you plan to return or move from the assigned area so they are expecting your arrival elsewhere.

·         Follow sound security procedures. Don’t go into an area unless you are cleared to go into the place especially when there is an emergency and you are called to respond.

·         Never take materials on your person that may be used as weapons. Pens, sharpened object or even blunt objects can be used against you. Secure them if you can and not make them visible.

·         Don’t stop during movement that takes you away from the main corridor or path designed for movement. These areas are normally within the camera’s vision and can observe your movement to and from your designation safely under a watchful eye.

·         Watch your behavior or attitude so it can’t be misconstrued as being flirty or biased. Focus on your job and do not go beyond questions relevant to getting the assignments done.

·         Look for subtle attempts to personalize your relationship and set forth a pattern of conversations that lead to manipulation and released personal information that may harm you or others.

·         Maintain a personal safety zone and make it clear you do not want any closer contact which you clearly expressed to the inmate population with consistency. Report violations of disobedience and stay away from retaliatory attitudes that provoke conflict or misunderstandings.

·         Take care of each other and express your movements with each other so your whereabouts is a constant awareness by others you work with and reduce any personal one on one contact with the prisoners. 

Personal Safety requires the Administration to:

·         Appropriately train and equip you for the job assignment given even if temporary or substituted

·         Ensure the environment is controlled by limiting authorized movements only during certain times

·         Ensure accessibility or availability of responding staff is within voice or sighted distance at all times

·         Ensure accessibility to communication devices to call for assistance is unobstructed and available at all times

·         Ensure visibility of the assigned location is not blocked or impeded by obstacles or blind spots

·         Ensure a welfare [security] check is in place to check on employees wellness in periodic irregular fashion

·         Ensure the population is in compliance with designed classification risk levels and other security threats

·         Ensure sure there is an effective mechanism in place to report any security violations / concerns

·         Ensure ingress and egress is controlled at all times by security personnel on each shift

·         Ensure the physical plant and locking devices are working as designed and tested periodically

·         Ensure security audits or assessment are made to capture environmental changes over time

·         Ensure population assessments are conducted on a regular basis [at least annually] to detect problematic issues or adjustments in mission changes.

·         Ensure roster balancing and post assignments are reviewed every six months

·         Ensure monthly walk thru inspections are conducted /documented by unit Chief of Security

·         Ensure a monthly report is forwarded to Warden for notifications of problems reported and found

Reference:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/2/worker-safety-agency-investigating-prison-rape/

Managing Security Risks

Securing your prisons for public safety is your first priority. The ancillary reasons for managing prisons is to reduce risks in all operational features and blend or integrate program and support concerns with tools designed to:

• Secure life and human resources
• Secure intellectual property (computer networks and secondary systems)
• Secure physical plant and state owned assets
• Secure your reputation, credibility and accountability of such risk management tools

Failure to control risks can have a devastating impact on any of these concerns thus there is a dire need to control risks and keep them at their lowest levels at all times. Controlling risks enhances better and faster replies of challenges or problems that may exist or have the potential to exist. It helps identify and evaluate conditions that may generate or mitigate risks within the prisons. 

Additionally, should an incident occur the strategies, preparations or planning for such risks is recognized as the leading provider or source for effective crisis response services.

Controlling risks are challenging and are increasingly complex as the prison industry is fluid and always changing in controlled and uncontrolled dynamics. It takes good strategy and excellent proactive planning to manage or monitor risk factors as they change either by operational changes or environmental challenges. 

Therefore, prison managers should always be prepared to respond to events that may have an impact on the industry, resource and train appropriately for secure security operations and understand the business thoroughly and prepare contingency plans to reduce potential negative impacts of risks identified. 

Prison managers should possess specific skills designed to control risks or reduce them to manageable levels that include at a minimum subject matter expertise, investigative skills, intelligence gathering and work closely with other agencies to formulate effective intervention methods, deterrents and alternatives to those risks identified inside prisons.

Additional services to help control risks are:

1. Create strategies, policies and solutions to protect assets and reduce the likelihood of losses from operational risks
2. Develop crisis and resilience plans to reduce the impact of an event to acceptable levels and safeguard reputations in times of crisis
3. Review, audit and benchmark existing arrangements to identify gaps or misaligned resources
4.  Provide security services and training to help implement and manage security from the local to state level
5. Provide immediate assistance to help employees respond to crisis events
6. Provide the appropriate logistic support and upgrade aging systems

This includes a fully supported platform of intensive research and development resources, practical intelligence interviews and on the ground operational tactics and integrated services between all departments and partners identified for the purpose of lethal and non-lethal protection and effective first responses in a hostile environments.

Check out this blog for Corrections & Compassion & Choices -

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Final AZ Treasurer Report 2012 led by Doug Ducey to Rip Retirement & Pension funds for employees

Don't take my word for it - here read Ducey's proposal on retirement pension changes done in 2012 as the state treasurer. Make no mistake he is going to rip your benefits apart and smile all the way to the bank leaving you more broke than before as he also cuts OT and stipends. http://www.aztreasury.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SB1609-Pension-Study-Committee-Final-Report-Dec-21-2012.pdf