My Rules
I can still remember how it was being a new guard way back when that’s what we were called. Inmates loved it when new screws were brought in on the block. They could hardly wait to run their games on them. I don’t think there is a trick in the book that wasn’t tried on me. There is no cuss word that I haven’t been called. I finally adopted a set of rules for myself. Here they are.
- Take no threats from inmates—write them up.
- Never let them change your mind by telling you that the threat was a joke.
- If you don’t know–ask your supervisor or coworkers.
- If in doubt–ask supervisors or coworkers.
- If inmates say that the other officer let them do it, tell them to wait until you can ask the other officer.
- Never cuss the inmates. That way they have no right to cuss you. Let them know you’ll make a report if they cuss at you. If they act like what you told them is a joke, tell them that you have more paper than they have good time. If they say they don’t get good time, tell them that when someday they will go before a parole board or have a chance to, the reports will be there. I had a Lt. tell me once that if I could not take a cussing I was in the wrong line of work. I replied that it was not that I couldn’t take a cussing, but that, according to the rules, I didn’t have to.
- Keep your word when you promise to check something for an inmate. (Inmates believe they have the right to lie to you, but set great stock in officers who keep their word.)
- Watch and learn from others. Take what they taught you in training and what you learn from watching other staff, and adapt it to work for you.
- The nicer and more helpful an inmate is, the closer you watch him/her.
- If you do something dumb (it is common practice), tell someone. It’s better to tell than try to hide a mistake. If you try to hide something, you can bank that an inmate will offer to help you cover it up for a favor.
- Understand that you don’t know it all and don’t have all the answers, even though you have been out of training for a whole month.
- The day you think you know it all is the day you need to walk out and not come back. You are a danger to yourself and every other staff.
- And as they say–enjoy your correctional experience!
Take care,
The Old Screw
|
Copyright © 2004,
DesertWaters.com. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction allowed. |