In order to maintain social and societal stability, the criminal justice system is comprised of many processes that seek to accomplish this. The main components are: law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Correctional officers supervise work to ensure those convicted of a crime do not violate their agreements and play an essential role in the justice system by overseeing the daily custody of offenders. Criminal justice has been an interest of mine ever since I could remember. The topic of corrections intrigues me because all I know about the field, is what I have heard on the news or seen in movies/television programs, and popular culture’s depiction of this field doesn’t seem to portray them in the best limelight at times. Luckily I have …show more content…
This is a minimum, medium, and long-term minimum facility that houses roughly 2,500 male offenders, with sentences that are typically more than five years. I had the wonderful opportunity to discus with Officer Glass, the ins and outs of her career, to better understand the role of corrections officers.
What is your job like? What do you do? What are the duties/functions/responsibilities of your job?
As a Correctional Officer your main duties are:
• To supervise inmates in housing units/segregation/common areas
• Maintain order and discipline
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Like for example, you have to always keep in the back of your mind that there is always a possibility of running into an ex-inmate on the streets after he is out of prison, so you are more conscious when you go out in public and especially in your work uniform. In the first 3 years of employment, I had to get used to a different schedule as well, working 2pm to 10pm. I didn’t have much time with my daughter and family since with the commute, I was gone about 12 hours a day. It was a huge adjustment, and was hard on all of us, but about 9 months ago, I was finally able to get a day shift, and it’s been so much better, allowing me to spend the much needed time with my family.
What are the salary ranges for various levels in this field? Is there a salary ceiling?
Salaries for Correctional Officers range from approximately $31,704 to a maximum of $52,872.
From your perspective, what are the problems you see working in this field?
The problems I see working in this field would be whether the pay is worth the safety risk. As with any job there is always risk. They provide the tools and knowledge to keep ourselves as safe as possible, but there is always a chance. I believe we are undervalued compared to law enforcement and deserve a pay increase.
What interests you least about the job or creates the most
The news reports crime daily. Crime is something that we cannot run from in today’s society; so we depend highly upon the justice system. Criminal Justice is a major concern. Criminal Justice consists of three areas: our police, courts and corrections department. The Criminal Justice system was put in place by these agencies, and established by the governments to help control the crimes and applies penalties to those that violate the law. Many people feel that the criminal justice system is there to protect and serve while others feel that the criminal justice system fails them daily.
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).
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
The second component of the criminal justice system is the court system. They court system is composed of lawyers, judges, and juries. Their job is to insure that everyone receives a fair trial, determine guilt or innocence, and apply sentences on guilty parties. The court system will contain one judge, and a jury of twelve citizens. The jury of the court will determine the guilt or innocence of the individual. The jury will also recommend a sentence for the crime the individual committed. Even though the jury makes the recommendation for the sentencing of the crime, the judge will follow pre-determined sentencing guidelines to make a final decision.
Prisons are institutionalized systems that hold people hostage against their will. Many believe that these institutions are fundamental to keeping balance within society. Although prison systems are meant to seclude troubled individuals, they should go beyond just containing criminals. The judicial system is responsible for correcting and eliminating future delinquent behavior before they can be effectively re-suspended back into society. In saying this, the court system does not implement these actions within prison systems, failing to fulfil the goals and the function of the prison overall.
Today our world is filled with crime. The people committing these crimes must have a consequence for their illegal actions. The system in place to keeping everything fair and safe is called the criminal justice system. This was put in place to ensure there is fairness and justice served to people who break the laws set up by the government.
Throughout the history of the United States and including the western world. Corrections have served the country by convicting and sentencing offenders depending on the seriousness of the crime. Along with that today, offenders are either placed in probation, incarcerated or taken to community-based corrections. Even though, corrections have always tried to find ways to deter crime by correcting criminals, the poor economy in our country has been the cause for struggles in the correctional system. Some of the causes of economic issues are the cut of budget, over crowing, lack of programs for people with mental illnesses, and lack of innovation.
Corrections in criminal justice is a punishment to rehabilitation or improve offender’s behaviors. The correctional system has programs that include parole and probation that are set for inmates that qualify to improve themselves and become better people. There are also other programs that provide care and support for inmates that are making a transition from custody to society. Evidenced based programing are out there to help inmates and make a change in corrections.
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.
In the criminal justice system three major agencies can be identified, they are; the police, the courts, and the correctional institution. The police responsibilities are of that of keeping the peace, apprehension of criminals, combat and prevention of crime, and social services. Once officers have been involved and it is determined that a crime or any other infraction has been committed, then the case will move into the jurisdiction of the courts. The court system will then be responsible for the adjudication of the subject where then the correctional system will impose whatever punishment or treatment was deemed by the courts. Once the corrections systems have received an inmate, the punishment phase will commence, whether it is imprisonment, probation, or community based correction. The previously mentioned are the three mayor agencies that process a citizen who has committed a crime against the state law, as you can see, the process is similar to that of an assembly line one might find in a factory. All agencies are linked together as one for t...
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.
The criminal justice system is composed of three parts – Police, Courts and Corrections – and all three work together to protect an individual’s rights and the rights of society to live without fear of being a victim of crime. According to merriam-webster.com, crime is defined as “an act that is forbidden or omission of a duty that is commanded by public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law.” When all the three parts work together, it makes the criminal justice system function like a well tuned machine.
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
The corrections system has varied in many way throughout the years, and most people have mixed feelings about how it is being ran in today’s world. The system has changed over time all over the world, but it has also changed in different regions in the world. For example, some laws and regulations have been changed over the years that apply to the whole nation, while some laws and regulations only change in certain states. Not only do laws around the nation change, but the way prisons are ran in certain areas of the United States have changed over the years. Although laws and regulations of the correction systems change over time, the United States finds a way to enforce the law in the most efficient way possible all over the nation.
In Intro to Criminal Justice class, I had the opportunity to learn about the Criminal Justice System more thoroughly. I learned that there are three components that make up the Criminal Justice System such as the courts, law enforcement, and corrections. Each component has its own role in making sure the the Criminal Justice System is functioning properly. If one of these components are not efficient the Criminal Justice system will not be as strong as it could be.