Prison Guards

  When choosing a career in corrections you must be dedicated to your job. Most people become prison guards due to low rates of employment. The more people are incarcerated, the more guards are needed. Most of the officers report that danger and stress are the most unpleasant parts of their job. Guards experience unpredictable incidents daily. Due to this, it is imperative that officers are fully aware of the dangers that come with this job and attend extensive training. Different events occur such as: suicide attempts, fights, and destruction of property. Most guards predict likelihood of violence through behavior patterns of inmates. A new recruit is most likely to experience more challenges from the inmates. Inmates tend to attack the weak. Security and control are essential to running a prison.
You must be hard-working and attentive to become a guard. Long working hours, and every day is a life or death situation. You may be involved in a fight with an inmate that is uncontrollable and a deadly weapon is present. Guards should always keep a distance between the inmates and their personal lives to avoid accusations of crime. According to Banks, knowledge ability relates to the need for guards to understand the informal rules and processes that shape daily prison interactions and how to avoid being manipulated by inmates (pp.153).
Guards also experience corruption in the prison as well. Prisoners may bribe a guard into smuggling drugs into their cell. As a result of this, the guard may encounter an altercation with the same inmate, and an accusation of rape may be reported to get that particular guard in trouble. Always avoid personal relationships with inmates to avoid conflict.


                                                                          Reference
Banks, C. (2013). Unethical Situations. Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice (3d ed.) (pp.173). Location: Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.


This video shows daily activities of guards in the prison and strategies to help control inmates.