My friends and family know I worked in corrections as my career. I spent 22 years working in federal prisons.
As a correctional officer/lieutenant and captain in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, I had to deal with some of the worst people in society - people who would have killed me if they needed to in order to do what they wanted. I worked the U.S. Penitentiary Lompoc, California, and the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, each for 3 years. The men there weren't there for being nice guys. The other 16 years were spent at medium security and administrative (pre-trial) institutions. But the men and women in those institutions were bad guys as well.
As a correctional officer/lieutenant and captain in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, I had to deal with some of the worst people in society - people who would have killed me if they needed to in order to do what they wanted. I worked the U.S. Penitentiary Lompoc, California, and the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, each for 3 years. The men there weren't there for being nice guys. The other 16 years were spent at medium security and administrative (pre-trial) institutions. But the men and women in those institutions were bad guys as well.
As bad as the inmates were, I can say without a doubt that I worked alongside some of the best people in society. I worked with people who had my back; people who would risk their own lives to save mine. They were dedicated law enforcement officers/staff who volunteered their own safety to protect the public - people they didn't even know.
One of the advantages of being a correctional worker over a police officer on the streets is that correctional workers know who the bad guys are. Police officers don't always know that. They encounter people every day in the course of their duties - some who are bad guys and need to be put away and others who are merely law abiding citizens who need their assistance.
In the world of corrections there are no law abiding citizens who just need assistance. There are bad guys who need assistance sometimes - but they're still bad guys who are incarcerated because they were not law abiding citizens at some point. And the higher the security of the institution where they are assigned, the worse their crime(s) were.
When correctional workers begin their shifts every day they know who the bad guys are. They know each inmate who approaches them for something is there for a reason. Certainly there are inmates who don't cause trouble; who serve their time quietly and without drama, and eventually go home without returning. But the majority are repeat offenders. They make their livings by committing crimes, knowing they will return to prison if and when they're caught.
When correctional workers begin their shifts every day they know who the bad guys are. They know each inmate who approaches them for something is there for a reason. Certainly there are inmates who don't cause trouble; who serve their time quietly and without drama, and eventually go home without returning. But the majority are repeat offenders. They make their livings by committing crimes, knowing they will return to prison if and when they're caught.
According to federal and state statistics, the recidivism rate for inmates is between 67% and 77% within the first five years following release from custody. Those figures are part of the reason that the concept of rehabilitation has mostly been abandoned in US prisons. In reality, inmates become law abiding citizens for one reason only - they don't want to return to prison. But that doesn't apply to most inmates. They live their lives of crime with full knowledge that prison will be a part of it. And most are OK with that.
My point here is that some of the best friends I have in life are people with whom I worked in the Bureau of Prisons. They had my back then and they still have it now if need be. And I would do the same for them. Law enforcement officials trust each other with their lives. It's a special bond, very similar to that of combat soldiers. When you put your life in the hands of another person, knowing that his/hers is in your own hands, you form a special bond. And we as correctional workers have that bond with hundreds of others.
The other point I want to make is this: The Bureau of Prisons is facing budget cuts and staffing cuts at an alarming rate. While the inmate population continues to increase, the staffing levels go down. Retiring staff are not being replaced in many institutions. (I have friends who are still working who are telling me this.) Cameras and technology are replacing staff these days. But cameras and technology do not respond to emergency situations in which staff and inmates are in danger. Lawmakers don't seem to understand this concept.
I was never a union person but I absolutely agree with the union that staffing levels need to be maintained for the safety of everyone. The inmates already outnumber the staff by a large margin. Reducing staffing numbers at institutions makes that even worse.
When I was a Captain I was instructed by the regional office to create a new staffing roster for my department (Correctional Services) reducing the number of correctional officer positions by five. That was in 2006. It's been 12 years since I left there and I have no doubt those numbers have decreased again since then. It's dangerous.
As much as I hate to say it - it's going to take some major incident in the Bureau of Prisons, that makes national news, before lawmakers in Washington are going to pay attention to staff shortages and the need to increase the ratio of staff to inmates. It will take a riot, an escape or the murder of a staff member to bring this danger to light with the American public. I hope none of those things occur. But mark my words... one or more of them will.
I was never a union person but I absolutely agree with the union that staffing levels need to be maintained for the safety of everyone. The inmates already outnumber the staff by a large margin. Reducing staffing numbers at institutions makes that even worse.
When I was a Captain I was instructed by the regional office to create a new staffing roster for my department (Correctional Services) reducing the number of correctional officer positions by five. That was in 2006. It's been 12 years since I left there and I have no doubt those numbers have decreased again since then. It's dangerous.
As much as I hate to say it - it's going to take some major incident in the Bureau of Prisons, that makes national news, before lawmakers in Washington are going to pay attention to staff shortages and the need to increase the ratio of staff to inmates. It will take a riot, an escape or the murder of a staff member to bring this danger to light with the American public. I hope none of those things occur. But mark my words... one or more of them will.
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