Michael Williams Case Study

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Interviewing Michael Williams, County Correction Officer, Cumberland County Adult Correction facility According to bls.gov, Correctional officers are responsible for overseeing individuals who have been arrested and are awaiting trial or who have been sentenced to serve time in jail or prison. The correctional officer’s main focus is to keep the inmate safe and secure, meaning to keeping the inmate safe from hurting themselves and others and also from being injured from other predatory inmates. They have to be consistent in their discipline, if they aren’t they will find themselves really struggling with trying to survive in a day of work. Every day that they walk into work they have to have a positive state of mind and be consistent …show more content…

When dealing with inmates at work I have learned that I have to treat them with respect in order to receive respect in return. When that respect isn’t there, expect to have a long and stressful day. I was told that that you will have some inmates who will talk to you in a disrespectful manner because they want to have the authority of everyone. When this takes place, you have to sternly put your foot down and make it known who the officer is and who the inmate is. Some inmates think just because you know them you will be easy on them that is never the case. If you feel uncomfortable with dealing with someone you know just get another officer to take your place with that. He explained a situation where a young man he was in karate class with had entered the facility with a drug charge, it was going around that he was going to give the young man special treatment so instead of that being a possible accusation he called for a replacement. He also had gone back to the respect aspect of the conversation saying that the main reason why that is enforced is because; these males and females are human. They have families living on the outside as well as they do have the possibility of getting out and who knows since he is at a county facility it is more common to see people that he went to school with, lived near etc. So for his safety and his family’s family he is mindful and is very professional when at work and …show more content…

Officer Williams said in his opinion the most effective sentencing is going to be different for each individual. From his experience he said it actually takes someone to be locked up behind bars for them to change. Sometimes that always isn 't the case some people actually aren 't being deviant for what we think seems intentional. Some individuals actually need help, whether that is being kept from society behind bars, on probation, in a halfway house etc is up to them and the people who help them find that

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