My internship was at Bucks County Community Corrections, and I was working closely with the CCOs (Community Correction Officers). I assisted and watched closely on what the CCOs did, and when I was comfortable I started to do some of the tasks on my own. The CCOs help out with work release for the offenders on their caseload; however depending on the inmate’s offense they might not receive work release. Inmates that don’t have work release can get an in-house. CCOs are also responsible for conducting in-takes interviews. In-take interviews are for when an offender is sent over from the jail to the community corrections, and that inmate gets added to a workers caseload and they are responsible for the intake interview. Throughout the summer …show more content…
I thought this was great advice and it made a lot of sense because you don’t want to take that type of environment back to your house. The biggest skill set that the staff had would be their communication skills and how they interacted with inmates. In all of the criminal justice related jobs communication is the biggest skill set someone needs to have because there is constant human interaction and if you can’t develop that skill set then it will be tough to maintain control. Seeing the CCOs communicate with inmates helped me learn better on how to communicate with offenders, especially explaining to them that they can’t do something. I learned how to explain to them they can’t do certain things and firmly stand my ground when inmates keep asking to do a certain …show more content…
It made me realize there are tons of jobs other than being a police officer and I was interested in what they do. I was satisfied with my job placement and I would recommend future students on attaining an internship here that is in the Bucks County area. It provided experience, and hands on learning that is valuable to anyone in this field. There would be no changes I would make with their internship program. I liked how they let me go on my own to do tasks and not be just getting people coffee and filing. It provides a real learning experience and can also see different sides of the criminal justice
There are seven different types of correctional job assignments based on the location in the facility, job description, and the type of contact with inmates (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015). These correctional assignments are block officers, work detail supervisors, industrial shop and school officers, yard officers, administrative officers, perimeter security officers, and relief officers (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015).
Unable to get official permission to interview and write about correctional officers, Ted Conover, author of the book Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, “got in" by applying for a correctional officer position. After training, he and his fellow rookies, known as "newjacks," were randomly assigned to Sing Sing, one of the country's most famous -- and infamous -- prisons. Sing Sing, a maximum-security male prison, was built in 1828 by prisoners themselves, kept at their task by frequent use of the whip. Today, the chaos, the backbiting, the rundown building and equipment, the disrespect and the relentless stress that Conover experienced in his year at Sing Sing show, quite well, how the increase of prisons in the U.S. brutalizes more than just the prisoners. Some of the individuals in Conover's entering "class" of corrections trainees had always wanted to work in law enforcement. Others were ex-military, looking for a civilian job that they thought would reward structure and discipline. But most came looking for a steady job with good benefits. To get it, they were desperate enough to commute hours each way, or even to live apart from their families during the work week. Their job consists of long days locking and unlocking cells, moving prisoners to and from various locations while the prisoners beg, hassle and abuse them. Sometimes, the prisoners' requests are simple, but against the rules: an extra shower, some contraband cigarettes. Other times, they are appropriate, but unbelievably complicated: it can take months to get information about property lost in the transfer from one prison to another. Meanwhile, the orders officers give are ignored. Discipline -- even among the officers themselves -- is non-existent. And with the money and benefits of this "good" job come nightmares and family stress, daily uncertainty about one's job and duties, and pent-up frustration that, every so often, explodes in violence -- instigated by staff as well as by prisoners.
As a newly promoted Lieutenant in charge of jail operations in the Houston Police Department (HPD), there are several critical issues regarding the jail environment that require immediate attention such as, inadequate conditions of confinement, health care, security measures, and sexual misconduct between correctional officers and inmates. The aforementioned issues are a controversial topic all across the U.S. and it usually attracts media attention and creates negative publicity towards the Department of Corrections. A lieutenant of jail operations is responsible for his or he shift and oversees multiple areas of the jail facility. Responsibilities of a jail lieutenant includes but is not limited to the following: (1) coordinate shift activities;
The way correction officers are treated in prison is dreadful. “A corrections officer was seriously burned Monday morning in an attack by an inmate at the Green Bay Correctional Institution” (Roberts, 2016). This topic interest me because most of my life my brother has described the working conditions of correction officers in prison. I remember him telling me how one officer had his finger bitten off by an inmate. Correction officers are the guards who work in prison to enforce prisoners, so that inmates do not find themselves constantly in trouble. In addition, the officers ensure inmates’ safety. Despite the fact that the officers want to secure the inmate 's safety, people are unaware of the hardships officers face every day. A great deal of the rigorous challenges guards go through are never mentioned on the news or make it to newspapers. Correction officers are rarely mentioned within society, even though they are a huge part of the law enforcement. There is a
All in all, the ideas surrounding the criminal justice system were affirmed by the field practice experience. Many open doors have resulted from the venture into the field of probation. As an advocate and future employee of the criminal justice system the skills and intellect gained from the college of criminal justice at SHSU along with the internship opportunity with the Dallas County Adult Probation Department will serve as a path to a successful career. The talented individuals and extraordinary situations encountered on the journey will not be forgotten.
As employees and sworn corrections officer of the Georgia Department of Juvenile justice (DOJJ) we are responsible when we are on duty for ourselves, juveniles, and staff members at all time. We are supposed to set the example daily because we are always being watch by others, display ethical behavior and maintain moral within our organization. Since juvenile correctional officers have many duties, like guiding and acting as life coaches for young inmates that might be mentally, emotionally, or psychologically which calls for them to have qualified staff members on hand to help with their situation. But like everything is this world this world we need to retain a wide variety of qualified staff members from all type of back ground.
...alifying ones.( White, Gasperin, Nystrom, Ambrose, Esarey). Their reason was because of the salary of the job and format. They continue saying that one must be mature, tolerance, open minded, patience and self confidence. .( White, Gasperin, Nystrom, Ambrose, Esarey). This brings up a good point. Wanting to be a community correction officer must be a job one loves and have passion for it because the pay and burnouts that come along with it are not the greatest. One most really consider all the option, pros, and cons of the job before take it. Being a probation officer is like working in the back of a movie scene. Also that one must seen the offender beyond their offense. .( White, Gasperin, Nystrom, Ambrose, Esarey). Trying to see the offender by their offense takes a lot of humbleness. It’s hard to see pass someone who molested a child or murder and innocent child
On 4/3/2016, I was assigned as the Dock officer at the Lower Buckeye Jail, located at the above address.
The jobs of correctional officer are some times overlooked. Correctional officers are playing a huge role in society because they need to perform important tasks. A correctional officer’s job is not easy and can become very stressful at times. Correctional officers are required to enforce and keep order, supervise inmates, help counsel offenders, search inmate cells for contraband, and also report on inmate actions. Correctional officers need to contain power over the prisoners in order to enforce the rules of the prison, or else the prison will not function correctly. In the book, Conover says, “The essential relationship inside a prison is the one between a guard and an inmate…the guard, it is thought, wields all the power, but in truth the inmate has power too” (Conover, p. 207). In the book, the importance of power the prisoner’s hold can be seen through the sudden increase of prisoners, the Stanford Prison Experiment and through the contraband they make.
institution plays in their community; the effect of different stakeholder groups on their organizational mission; the importance of their staff in achieving the organization’s goals; and the impact of providing a safe and secure correctional environment where inmates can work toward their rehabilitation and return to live crime-free in the community” (p. 80). This is a large undertaking. It would behoove organizations to ensure that they are training staff in ways that will help promote these habits while increasing the efficacy of their organization.
Correctional Officers are a very important part of the Justice System because it keeps high profile criminals off the street and locked up even before they are proven innocent or guilty. The Correctional Facility in many ways is a lot like a jail, from what I saw when I toured the new Pre Trial Centre in Port Coquitlam. There are large thick metal doors to lock them in at night. Each cell contains a small bed, a desk and shelf, a sink and a toilet. The one thing I found interesting was at the new Pre Trial Facility in Port Coquitlam each cell had a window, which I thought was a little too much for criminals but I guess they are innocent until proven guilty. As this is a NEW facility and it has some nicer things than the older centres.
To support reintegration, correctional workers are to serve as advocates for offenders in dealing with government agencies assisting with employment counseling services, medical treatment, and financial assistance. They argued that corrections focal point should be increasing opportunities for the offenders, to become law abiding citizens and on providing psychological treatment. This model of corrections advocates avoiding imprisonment if possible for the offender and also in favor of probation, therefore offenders can obtain an education and vocational training that would help their adjustment in the community. In the community model corrections advocated for inmates incarcerated to spend very limited time in prison before been granted parole.
The “Tough on Crime” and “War on Drugs” policies of the 1970s – 1980s have caused an over populated prison system where incarceration is policy and assistance for prevention was placed on the back burner. As of 2005, a little fewer than 2,000 prisoners are being released every day. These individuals have not gone through treatment or been properly assisted in reentering society. This has caused individuals to reenter the prison system after only a year of being release and this problem will not go away, but will get worst if current thinking does not change. This change must be bigger than putting in place some under funded programs that do not provide support. As the current cost of incarceration is around $30,000 a year per inmate, change to the system/procedure must prevent recidivism and the current problem of over-crowed prisons.
A day in the life of a correctional officer is often easily overlooked. Not realizing or knowing the specifics that go into what it takes to interact daily with incarcerated inmates is one reason people are able to go about their lives, not wondering or thinking about how those inmates are managed. I had the pleasure of interviewing a man named Steve from my church who worked in corrections for sixteen months starting in 2008. At that time, Steve said it was not required to attend the correctional officer academy, but it has since become a requirement to pass the academy. Based off some things Steve mentioned to me, corrections officers have one of the toughest jobs in the criminal justice system. Having to constantly work with inmates
As a result of this interview, I have a different perspective on the corrections branch of the criminal justice system. The corrections branch is not just tasked with keeping criminals in line or in jail, but also with aiding people in reform and improvement of the self. Likewise, I previously had zero to very little understanding of what a probation officer does, not just on a daily basis, but on a general level. Now, I am aware of the general and the nitty-gritty, the pleasant and unpleasant tasks integrated in this line of work. I learned that every branch of the criminal justice system has more to it than meets the eye or that can be taught in a classroom.