We the Correctional Officers
The Old Screw is a retired correctional officer
who wishes to reach out to his fellow officers through Desert Waters.
To most people in the United States all inmates
are killers and rapists, and all Correctional Officers are brutal and
sadistic. In their minds, we stand 7ft. tall and weight in at over 400 lbs. We
never say a kind word to the inmates, nor do we ever listen to their sob
stories or give them a break. They, in turn, always talk to us out of the
corner of their mouths, never say anything nice, and never, NEVER say "thank
you." This is baloney about both sides.
We Correctional Officers have had many names over the years, such as, screw,
guard, turnkey, bull, capt'n, boss and bos
(spelled backward), and many more that should not be put in print nor said out
loud.
We have had the poorest Public Relations of any group our size. Yes, we have
had our bullies and power-hungry people, but that is the same in all jobs.
What counts is the men and women (YES, I SAID WOMEN) that make up the
majority of Corrections.
I started almost a decade before women were allowed to work in Corrections. I
have seen the rough road they have had to travel. Granted, some have fallen by
the wayside, but so have male Officers. Almost all of the remaining ones
became good Correctional Officers, Officers that anyone would be proud to work
with and to call upon for anything.
Let me give you an example. I worked with a young mother that was scared to
death that she would someday be raped on the job by inmates. But every day she
was there and worked any assigned post and did her best. She had a family to
support and Corrections was the highest paying job a woman could get. This
Officer was a privilege to work with. The other Officers and I knew she would
back us to the limit.
In our line of work there is
a saying that corrections work involves 30 years of boredom and 30 seconds of
terror. Me? I have seen a lot of 30 seconds over the years. When you stand
head-to-head with an inmate that only a few months before had seriously cut a
fellow officer and tell him "No," the tension lasts much more than 30 seconds.
Remember, you are a highly trained Correctional Officer. I only wish I had
received half the training when I started as you do now. Corrections work is
not an easy life and never will be. It is real rough on marriages and
families. People who do not work in Corrections do not understand this, often
not even the family members of Officers.
Desert Waters is here to help Correctional Staff and families in any matters
they can. No names will be given nor asked (except in the case of danger to
self or others, if names are voluntarily disclosed), and there is no caller ID
for the answering service. I believe they will help or I would not be writing
for them. Everyone needs someone to blow off steam to and not have to worry
about consequences.
The Old Screw
The term "screw" for correctional officers derives from a type of locking
mechanism used to secure cell doors.
According to George H. Gregory, the author of
Alcatraz Screw,
"It's an old term that refers to the locking system in some prisons. You
insert a big, long key into the lock of a cell door and screw it in until the
door is secured."
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