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.

Human Life to the Highest Bidder

Since the mass incarceration of the past decades, there has been an auction going on in many state and federal prisons that resemble those days of slavery and the misery that goes along with such practices. Today's prisons are filled with masses of human beings auctioned and sold to the highest bidder on the profit margin determined by Wall Street and stockholders of private prison contractors. People must become aware that human lives have become a commodity and that not humans are equal in value or importance. It appears that many in society are either oblivious to the concept or are joining in the profitability of selling mankind.

One main reason for concern on this current trend is with stockholders there is only one priority; money and money means greed, corruption and the need for more power to make more money. Selling a human being would appear to be immoral in the past but today's stock market has placed a higher value on some and a lesser value on others. The food chain has been altered to indicate that people can be sold according to their societal value and purpose in how they fit in the economy. Greed and corruption, along with the inequalities and inequities of such goods makes it important to sort mankind out according to class or ability to make money for others. You might even say that because of the commodity market, morals have been devalued in order to conduct the business at hand.

Not all goods are valuable thus not all people have value. One must sort this out and determine which have the most value and which carry the lesser value of the trade and transformation that turns people into goods. Therefore, the economists must use a political continuum of significance to determine those that are worthy to sell and worthy to buy. The trade is not new. Human trafficking is common in most foreign countries and it has finally arrived in the United States in a perfectly legal concept. Politicians have transformed the need for goods to the needs for people and the prison industrial complex has been most accommodating by selling its prisoners for less than a dollar a head.

Everything is for sale these days. It has been said if you have the means to buy you have the means to possess. The use of human trafficking in our economy has reached its peak and society has not winked an eye while it is happening. Directly or indirectly, they all profit from selling human beings on the market under the prison tag. It is fair to say that public interest has turned into private interest as public value has changed into private values. Judges, law enforcement and the criminal justice system has been accommodating to the private prison industries as they turn over their incarcerated masses to those that promise to feed them, put a roof over their heads and keep them for prolonged periods of time in order to receive maximum returns on their investments.

One must not fool themselves if they are not incarcerated as the chances of them becoming a victim of a crime and charged as a criminal has increased blindly. Prosecutors re focusing on those low on the food chain and unable to defend themselves with an attorney or worst, unable to comprehend or understand what is happening because they are severely mentally ill and taken for granted as another commodity sold to the prison industrial complex to fill a bed regardless of what their treatment needs are. Once can easily see that these type of people are expendable and deserve no second thought about placing them in jails or prisons for a long term so profits are high and acquired to the fullest extend of the law.

The irony is that there are people between the mentally ill and those that have skills and an education that makes them more valuable than others. Skilled workers and intellectuals do well in prison and are well taken care of in sense of housing, medical care and employment. They are exactly what the prison contractors are looking for as they can make money from their fruits of labor that resemble slavery wages and confined living conditions that stifle independence and freedom. They are however, more fortunate that those illiterate and physically or mentally disabled. The prison complex is much kinder to those that can walk, think, use their hands and stay of sound body and mind. It reduces their overhead and custodial costs to keep them and all they have to do is keep them longer and uses quantity as a guide to profitability.

The rest are discarded and devalued and at the same time their existence has no urgency for treatment or other expensive overhead costs thus largely neglected or ignored for their routine, chronic or acute needs of food, medical and mental health treatment, dental and other commodities now identified within the proper definition of the environment. One can be proud of supporting those politicians that have managed to guide state and federal laws to accommodate such a prison industrial complex and ensure their growth has been successful and profitable for everybody that is a stockholders in the business of selling human beings to the highest bidder.

Fear & Gun Control

Fear & Gun Control

 

There are perhaps more crucial reasons why crime and fear has so much in common. After all, criminal events even at their most basic and fundamental levels can be frightening to many. They are in fact, a reminder that the world is not a safe place and that danger can strike at any time or anywhere with life ending at a moment’s notice at the hand of a criminal.

 Dealing with fear and crime is at the root of a basic humanistic conflict. The danger of being killed or harmed outweighs the ability to be safe in a proper social order that is in compliance with society’s rules of law. Hence the absence of law creates an anarchist situation where the need of self-preservation and survival falls on the human who feels they are in imminent danger.

 Based on the rate of crime whether determined by demographics or statistical data gathered by the government, there is a need for protection; a protection that the police cannot provide under all reasonable conditions when a crime is committed. Controlling crimes takes a strategy by the police but is flawed by not having sufficient resources available to prevent all crimes. Thus by de facto thinking, the citizens feels the need to arm themselves with guns or other defensive weapons.

Judging from the attention by criminalists it seems that it is logical and rational to think that fear is a reasonable reaction to the consequences of becoming a victim of a crime. This has been documented over and over in history as the violence and the social situations have changed relatively little in rate thus making it open for serious personal consequences of victimization. The most egregious fear of mankind is the fear of crime.

Fear must not be belittled.  Although the fear of crime is more prevalent that actual victimization the reaction to fear is to take precautionary measures to sufficiently defend themselves at home, on the road or in the workplace. First we must believe that fear is real. It carries with it various emotional mindsets, attitudes or perceptions.

Perceptions that focus on the mistrust of others, anxiety, perceived risk, fear of strangers and concern about high crime neighborhoods or public places. This is all based on the fact that many of us believe that our country has been declining in national morality that impacts us directly or indirectly that divides fear into other emotions as well such as sadness, anger, despair or giving up on our human race.  It is reasonable to believe that owning a firearm, whether a handgun, rifle or shotgun is a viable option to counter or relax these fears of criminal behaviors in our community. It is also reasonable to expect to defend oneself in place until a call to 911 is made and the delayed arrival of the police could be too late for your self, family or friends to survive the crime committed.

Mitchell and Everly Debrief Model for PTSD nightmares and bad dreams

Bad dreams and PTSD nightmares

The Choice is yours - face it or run away

The Epiphany of Courage

When I first gave the though of becoming a correctional officer I went through a series of hesitating moments that created an unsure feeling that I will never forget. I had endure many trials and tribulations throughout my years advising others and being advised on the morality of things as they presented themselves as challenges to face in your life each day.  I dealt with a wide range of pain and painless emotions and issues including what were best for me and my family during a time when unemployment was high and jobs were hard to get.

Balancing the suffering and insecurities of being unemployed, I chose to fulfill a dream that many had told me “you couldn’t do it” as I experienced a jarring moment, an epiphany of courage you might say that took me down this journey that lasted over twenty five years. Slowly I had to learn all over again how to face my fears and when to take the risks that would bring me a most preferred status within myself and others.

Never lacking the physical strength to endure the anticipated fatigue and rigors of the job chosen, I had to focus on psychological strength and courage to withstand the adversities and challenges ahead. Dreaming the dream was not so elusive once I was on track towards fulfilling my personal goals and desires as my dreams transformed into realities that brought me security and happiness as I used my inner strengths to pursue them. .

The courage within my heart was sometimes daunting yet it came alive when I needed it the most to propel me into a successful state of mind that had me thinking and facing my fears while refusing to become helpless or weak for others to see or realize once my self-confidence was bolstered from within. Stabilizing my dreams,  I encouraged others to take this same journey and go for all the gusto there is in life and the pursuit of happiness.

The process of learning to take risks and acting boldly is truly an awesome one. The act of giving back was given to you is even a more satisfying experience in itself. Breaking free from the chains inside your heart and head brings a wonderful freedom gives you the enthusiasm and the boldness to go wherever your heart desires as your challenge of fear is no longer a prison containing you inside a make believe box with tight reigns and boundaries to keep you from learning and giving; slowly depleting you of your energy and desires. Your courage has given you unlimited bravery with choices abound that will allow yourself to gain more about life and fulfill your most inner desires a fruitful life.

 

No Guns, No Glory Just Guts ~~ Correctional Officer Week May 2013

No Guns, Just Guts

Correctional Officer Week 2013

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5187 creating “National Correctional Officers’ Week.” The first full week in May has since been recognized as National Correctional Officers’ Week to honor the work of correctional officers and correctional personnel nationwide. Corrections has become a most complex and challenging field where there exists the potential of violence daily and losing a life has become more common today than ever before. Sometimes, working with honor and pride is all the recognition correctional office rs get in their tenure as an officer working inside a jail or prison.

Since the beginning of tradition, agencies throughout the world have taken steps to recognize the value of these Spartans and most often forgotten heroes in our criminal justice system. It is with honor that we recognize our correctional officers in 2013 in a manner that is most befitting of their true character and dedication to the job. Too many times are the officers recognized or mislabeled members of a continuum of evil and allegations that transforms them into human characteristic that are reflections of power and abuse. If one should believe the summarization of the Stanford Prison Experiment where there are suggestions of “evil” transformations of their character, it is a complete mockery to those that have towed the line for over decades of doing good work and saving lives.

This project revealed a “banality of evil” that suggested that good officers, under certain conditions or circumstances such a peer pressure and other social pressures, change into criminals and commit act that are otherwise “unthinkable.” This is completely offensive and untrue in most cases. Good officers withstand more social and political pressures to stay the course than anyone can ever imagine or conduct research on under the circumstances they work and perform their jobs. One might say that this experiment is totally unreal to the facts as prolonged experience has shown that there are highs and lows on this job but the temptation to compromise does not exist as a frequent or common influence as implicated. If someone conducting such an experiment were to have a longer testing period than 14 days, it would have been revealed the opposite result because officers are resilient and rebound quickly after critical incidents and significant interventions. However, officers were condemned nevertheless.

History has linked officers with good and evil but have managed to focus more on evil than the good. There are allegations of some crossing over to the evil side because of personal agendas or being coerced or seduced by peers to join them in the cause to inflict more pain and more misery in an environment already filled with such negative elements. Correctional officers are not the typical perpetrators described by the media or in the movies. They are often just the opposite of what is portrayed to be an attempt to write a reality show.  

 Officers carry no weapons or guns but they have the guts to do the job. This notion they are armed has created tremendous amount of pressure for the officer to live up to this supernatural expectation to enforce rules and expected behaviors. Their role as a first responder requires them to act quickly and take life-saving actions making it a trap in most cases for many as they will be chastised or criticized for how they did their job. Criticized often by the public or the media, they continue to do this job that nobody else wants to do.

They are part of a system that is inundated with bad influences but do their job with good conscience and pride they overcome these barriers with honor. Just to illustrate some of the simple tasks these officers perform deserves recognition that they are first responders to multiple life and death situations. Officers are often called to confront violent behaviors if not the target or victim of such horrible misconduct. Their shift work is abusive in nature as well as their exposure to some of the worst criminals ever prosecuted for felony crimes. Some are rotated often that interrupts their personal lives at the home front but realize it is part of the job.  Working within poor sanitation and safety conditions, they risk exposures to bio-hazard infections or other communicable diseases.  The get paid a minimal wage compared to many other law enforcement positions but accept danger as their partner 8 to 16 hours a day and carry out the most difficult challenge of all; making sure a convicted felon complies with rules and regulations. They are the forgotten silent majority in our criminal justice system.

Officers sweat, bleed and shed tears on and off the job. Their combat is with inner stress as well as external moral and political anxieties that surround them daily. The line between good and bad is invisible to some but those that wear the badge with honor and pride know where that line exists 24/7. It is true some abuses occur but the majority of good deeds overcome the bad ones.

They knock themselves out with physical and mental wear and tear on their mind and body that is often neglected and ignored by themselves, their employer or the public as they fight fatigue, stress and major challenges and adversities that create hostile acts towards them and other prisoners. They break up fights and disarm violent offenders with nothing but bare hands, chemical agents or handcuffs and the latest entry in our continuum of force, the Taser.

In all actuality, the correctional officer is the silent hero in our criminal justice system. He or she stands watch within an environment that is reinforced by basic human expectations – us versus them making it a combat zone at times with bizarre rules for engagement since none are armed during the normal scope of their duties unless on an armed post such as tower duty, transports or other special posts. The second misleading fact is their refusal to act out their role as officers by being a bystander on the job. They are involved in every aspect of correctional settings and do the most difficult job under the most challenging conditions.

Correctional Officers are motivated by self-satisfaction and dedication to the job and the challenges it presents to them as law enforcement officers working that thin blue line.  Correctional officer week 2013 is dedicated to the brave men and women of corrections and the role they play in our criminal justice system with honor and pride.

 

Source: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_banality_of_heroism

 

Hard Work & Hard hands

 

“Hard-working Americans are increasingly faced with workplace conditions in which critically important safeguards are watered down, emerging problems are ignored, and enforcement is scaled back.”

 

To many people, hard work is another dirty word. In my own experience in the last forty years I have found hard work to be a worthy challenge and once conquered mentally, easier to overcome than many realize. The truth is many more people will go the easy route and avoid hard work these days. After all, it’s the easier of the two choices before you. Why wouldn’t you join those lazy people and do the opposite.

 

Separating yourself from the horde of people wanting to be lazy is a much tougher challenge than anticipated. Tackling hard work is tough but in the long run, it pays off. Certainly, one must be prepared to make sacrifices but in order to get the competitive edge you need to be successful; you must dedicate yourself to hard work and persistent self-satisfaction or order to feel the rewards of such self-discipline and perseverance. 

 

Strong challenges often result in strong results. Not working with luck but rather opportunities opens the door to find better ways of self improvement and self development towards your goals of being a successful worker and not a fluke. Disciplining yourself along the way is very important. Your willingness to do something that is difficult is the key to personal achievement. One of the comforts of knowing you did some hard work is the feeling that it is universal and you are not alone. There are many hard working people out there that don’t by-pass easy street and dig in for the long run and looking for long term results.

 

Whether you are working full-time or part-time the challenge is to force yourself to excel and do better every time you are faced with a challenge. Working hard with little pay is disappointing but could very well be the catalyst that takes you on a new journey where the money is commensurate with the energy and self discipline you demonstrate to your employers and ultimately reap the rewards of your hard work by getting a raise or a better position.

 

It has been demonstrated that the harder you dig in the more potential you reveal as more opportunities will come about offering you new challenges based on your past record of being a strong asset to the organization. Taking this approach of working hard pays off for those that accept the fact there are no easy ways to get success fast and easy. Hard work builds self-esteem and confidence. It is a formula for setting goals, making plans and achieving what you envision to be your ultimate challenge in life.

 

In the end hard work is about acceptance. Accepting the fact that anything less is not satisfying and doesn’t fulfill your own personal ambitions, desires and goals. Never fear hard work and you will find the key to success as you reach a whole new level in your life.