Fair Shake
Mr. President, and all Governors, Senators,
Representatives and County Commissioners of our grand 50 States:
We need a big favor and a lot of help. We know it is a bad time for funding,
but there are Correctional Officers, sheriff’s deputies, and law enforcement
officers who are dying every day trying to do their jobs while short of staff.
The Military overseas is very brave in their fighting. Correctional Officers
have no weapons except a pen and paper. Has anyone of you ever really thought
of the risks that Correctional Officers, police and sheriff’s deputies face
daily? I can tell you, it’s the pits. Every day you go to work, you leave with
the understanding that there is a possibility that you may not come home, that
you may never see your beloved family again.
How many of you would willingly walk into a yard with up to 1,200 inmates
milling around? Who would work a cell house with (if you’re lucky) three staff
to over 300 inmates? I’ve seen one Officer to 105 inmates.
You may say, "That’s their job. They knew what they were getting into."
My answer: It’s called needing to feed your family and doing a job that not
many have the nerve to do. Look at female staff. They risk getting raped and
killed the same as the male staff. Look at the job market and see what other
employers pay as much, and with benefits, for a single mother with a high
school education, especially in rural areas. (Sometimes the health insurance
stinks, but it’s better than nothing.)
Look at the sheriff’s deputies at the jails and on patrol, a lot of times by
themselves. The criminal element is often better armed or as well-armed as law
enforcement. Yet each day the deputies go out to do their job the best they
can. They, like Correctional Staff, work all kinds of shifts, have weird days
off, and work every holiday.
So you see, Ladies and Gentlemen, we need help badly. Yes, it will cost a lot
of money. But it may allow a child to be with their parent while growing up.
If you think I’ve made all this up, check the records. You may be surprised by
the numbers. Forty-nine Correctional Officers have been killed in the US over
the past five years. This world would be a scary place without Correctional
Officers, sheriff’s deputies and law enforcement officers to take care of
"bad" guys and gals. Think of what it would be like to walk a mile in one of
these officers’ shoes.
All they want and need is a fair shake by the people they have helped to
elect.
Take
Care,
The Old Screw
|
Copyright © 2004,
DesertWaters.com. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction allowed. |