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.
I agree with you that Corrections Officers are subjected to dangerous situations everyday. I found your video very informative. It showed their is a very important balance that must be maintained in a detention facility. A balance where the power most importantly be swayed toward the Corrections Officers. The inmates outnumber the guards, and at any time could potentially take over a detention facility.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comment.
DeleteI agree with you that being a prison guard is a dangerous and stressful job. However, I disagree that people chose to do it because of low employment opportunities. I think it takes a very special person to be a prison guard. A prison guard, have to be someone that has a lot of self-confidence and very secure in the person. I say confidence in oneself because when a decision needs to be made to have to make it. Basically what I’m saying is that I think a prison guard has to be a person that’s a natural born leader. In my opinion, people who choose to be prison guards gave it a lot of thought before they except the position.
ReplyDeleteWorking in any institution is dangerous and stressful. Most of the Deputy Sheriff and CO's I know do it because they love it and want to help change individuals life not because of the economy. To help rehabilitate inmates into productive citizens is very important. The danger CO's face while working inside is minimum compared to changing lives.
ReplyDeleteBianca,
ReplyDeleteAs a former corrections officer I can relate on this topic. Corrections attracts a different type of person to do the job. Most choose this profession as a second retirement or either they live in a small county in which there are no jobs except the prison. The state offer benefits for most in those small area and it provides shelter and food on the table for their families. The turnover rate is high in the corrections field due to the amount of violence, lack of respect and the continuous day to day activities. Inside prison the inmates do the same thing at the same time everyday which makes working their extremely hard. You take that everyday routine and add 12 hours of standing in the same spot everyday you have a rough day which leads to a headache. People become complacent and thats how things start to revolve in prison. It takes an individual with strength to work their and continue to push forward and do the job. The one's that stand out to the inmates are the one's that will advance in that career. Now understand that their will be trying times inside the corrections field especially when one of your own is doing the wrong. Sometimes you have to actually listen to talk inside the walls and you'll find out which way the wind is blowing. The video you posted is of a elite unit called the SRT Team which is responsible for riots and extremely different situations that arise in prison. All correctional officer do not receive that type of training. They only receive what the state pays for which is about 3 weeks at an academy. When doing the job of a Prison Guard you have to get close and hands on inmates to show them you mean business. Otherwise you will look weak and they will pick up on this behavior and strike at you or on your watch because they know you want do anything to protect them. Inmates are some of the most intelligent people in the world inside those walls and some are actually educated. Prison Guard is an extremely dangerous job in which the pay doesn't match the job performance. Inmates us everyday tools as weapons to protect themselves. There is a code of silence in their among inmates. Their is also a code that you will follow as a prison guard to not "Call Out" any inmates because others will make that particular inmate and he or she may not last long inside. Gangs are present inside prison and are very active. Word of mouth comes from the outside but inmates act according to the code. Prison guard is very difficult.
Very Good Posting Bianca
Thank you for your comment. It was very detailed and straight to the point. I agree.
DeleteBianca: You have posted a very good blog on prison guards. Your video supplemented your blog well. Professor Taylor
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.
Delete