It's a tough job with unsociable hours, rare contact with the outside
world and a less than impressive pay package. So why would anyone want
to be a prison officer?
I am asked to place my coat and bag in a small cloakroom area, and am
ushered to a small room where my pockets are searched and body is
frisked. I find this 'procedure' quite uncomfortable, but think myself
lucky that these rigorous checks aren't performed everyday. I am given
a white sticker with 'visitor' on it and am promptly told to 'wear it
at all times' so I can be easily identified.
I am let through a series of grey cold steel doors, opened by a large
bunch of jangling keys and am greeted by the prison officer I have
come to interview with a firm, almost predictable handshake.
Carol Tomlin has been a prison officer at Bournemouth Magistrates
Court for thirteen years. She works in twelve hour shifts, five,
possibly six times a week in the 'cells' in the basement of the court.
Her only interaction is with the prisoners themselves and her fellow
officers. " Sometimes I don't see daylight all week, by the time I
leave work its dark outside and when I get up its also dark-it can be
quite a strain".
To look at Carol you wouldn't think that her job was a 'strain'. She
is far removed from the stereotypical prison officer that is
synonymous with polished black boots and a stern air of authority.
She has long blonde hair that is neatly tied up with a red flower hair
band. She is tall at 6ft, but not overpowering, as her smile and
welcoming stance assures. Her bright blue and pink make-up mirrors her
personality and enthusiasm for the job she calls 'her life and her
passion'.
"The job is hard, but I do love it, you get a great deal of job
satisfaction when you have helped somebody with a problem. Whether
that means getting through to someone about their drug addiction, or
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).
Finding a door to exit would become a puzzling exercise during one of their St. Albans investigations. Terri and Marie were in what is known as “the safe room,” because a large old-fashioned safe is located there. They had completed their investigation and were readying to leave the room when they realized they couldn’t. There wasn’t a door. “It was as if it had been morphed over,” said Terri. “We went around and around in circles. We were growing concerned when we made another lap and there it was. It was as if the door materialized out of nowhere,” she said.
She wears a headdress with a band around her forehead with a diamond attached to it and jewellery to reflect her wealth. She also wears elegant purple slippers. The whole costume portrays... ... middle of paper ... ...
I had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Caleb Justice; a corrections officer from the Federal correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana. Caleb is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he served four years on active duty as a machine gunner. During his four years he deployed on a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) as well as to Nowzad and Musa Qala Afghanistan. After serving honorably Caleb decided to take his skill set to the civilian sector and began seeking employment in the Criminal Justice System.
I say,"Yes sir;no sir,very good sir; shall I take the drive, sir? " Mama, that ain't no kind of job. that ain't nothing at all.
In today’s pop culture, media of all forms portrayals of correctional officers are almost always negative. Correctional officers are portrayed as bad, “meat head” type men. They are depicted as authoritarian, insensitive and without any redeeming qualities. This image of correctional officers is one in which many people believe and think of when they view prison life. These images can be found in films like “Shawshank Redemption”, where guards brutally beat, sometimes to death, the inmates they are responsible for. It is portrayed that the guards do not care about the inmates but instead hate them to the point that most believe they are always harsh and use excessive force. One harsh officer claimed he “wouldn’t piss on them [inmates]
The career of a correctional officer has always captivated me in a way that is difficult to explain. Even as a child, I recall tuning into shows such as Lockup and Lockdown. In fact, my earliest, most vivid memories consist of me sitting in front of a TV screen with my eyes mesmerized by the hardened criminals visioned on the screen before me. It may seem peculiar, but I’ve always pictured myself inside the prison walls. What’s even more peculiar is that I’ve seldom visioned myself as a correctional officer; in fact, I’ve almost always visioned myself as a prisoner. Given what’s been said, one may ask me why it is that I aspire to be a correctional officer. And the answer to that question is rather simple. I want to be a correctional officer because I thrive for a rush of euphoria to course through my veins. And being a correctional officer will allow an endless supply of euphoria to course through my veins. And with that said, I don’t need to further explain why such a career is what I long for.
The Criminal Justice System is composed of several different fields that include institutions, practices, and systems in which the government mitigates and serves the community by providing safety and security by controlling crimes. As a Deputy Probation Officer in the Criminal Justice System one will be supervising probationers who have been convicted of crimes and sentenced to probation. A Deputy Probation Officer's role requires a great level of compassion, patience, and energy, all while teaching responsibility for necessary life skills. These life skills include communicating, self-control, critical thinking, and problem solving. One must be able to communicate effectively, challenge, and motivate the probationer by teaching a positive way of conduct and how to make better choices in life. The Officer is also responsible providing the offender with the necessary tools for job training, coordinating rehabilitation services, substance abuse counseling, mental health, and other life coping skills.
There is roughly 2.4 million people locked up in the United states. This statistic surprises everyone and automatically makes them think about the conditions of the prisoners. Even though prisoners have to deal with harsh conditions, most people do not think about the effects of prisons on correctional officers. Even though some may argue that prison conditions are too harsh, correctional officers still have to endure the same conditions as prisoners even though they are not the ones that are locked up. Correctional officers have to endure violence from inmates, intense stress that can cause psychological problems, and stress on families.
Law enforcement is a career that is both violent and rewarding in many capacities. Justice needs to be served in law enforcement and they have a responsibility to uphold the law and serve the people in the community. Law enforcement is crucial in the world today as a global realm as life continues to be more complex and law enforcement struggles to combat many aspects of crime. In order to combat these problems and have a positive future in the criminal justice system, everyone must work together on a bigger scale.
It is to no surprise that America has a large amount of its people incarcerated for a variety of reasons. One must ask themselves how we can help these individuals get back on track. The answer is America’s most powerful weapon known to man; an education. This is an annotated bibliography for research on the effects of education in the prison system and if these effects are worth taxpayer’s money.
This past semester I interned at the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Department. This was a unique experience for me and really changed my perspective on the possibility of having a law enforcement job as a police officer. Ultimately, I would like for my career path to result in me being a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Getting hired as a special agent with the FBI is very competitive, and as of right now it is extremely hard to get a job with them straight out of college. Luckily, for myself I have a good point of contact with the FBI, in which I was able to have a on the phone, and in person interview with my cousin John Dolan, who is the Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge, of FBI 's Joint Terrorism Task Force in
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
Criminal Justice is a legal framework incorporating the applications of the law with various governmental entities to ensure lawful policies and procedures are adhered to and impose a penalty when such laws are violated. The scope of the Criminal Justice System is separated into three branches: Legislative (laws and statutes), Adjudication (courts), and Corrections (jails, prisons, parole and probation).
This paper explores the benefits provided by educational programs in jails and prisons. Included are the reasons inmates need education in order to successfully reenter society once they are released and use the knowledge and skills they have learned to obtain a job in order to support themselves and their families. Also examined in the paper are the financial benefits of incorporating educational programs instead of cutting them, as well as the effect these programs play on the recidivism rate. Lastly is a focus on understanding the importance of education and job training, even though the recipients are criminals.