We who work in corrections are all brothers and sisters no matter what country we live in and work for. We have similar issues to deal with in our chosen profession. Will we live through the shift?

Once again, it is time to ask for help from those of you who do not yet give to Desert Waters. We need your help to continue helping you and your families. You may or may not know it, but Desert Waters provides 24/7 support through the Ventline and some counseling services at no cost to corrections staff and families. The Correctional Oasis is sent out to thousands at no charge, both by regular mail (still) and by email.

It is so sad that female correctional officers are still having problems with male staff. No, guys, female correctional officers are not here for your pleasure. They are not here for a conquest. Female correctional officers are here for a career, just like you are. They have families, just like you.  They are professionals, just like you. They go through the same training you do. They can get hurt and killed in this line of work, just like you.

Corrections work requires repeated reminders of certain things. These are principles that should be learned by every new employee and brought back to mind regularly by experienced staff.

On May 7th and 8th 2009, Desert Waters had its Spring Conference. Although small due to the economy, it was a great session and well represented by staff from all over the U.S.

One of the nice things during such events is that you get to talk to staff from different agencies and learn of their problems, progress and hopes.
 

On May 7th and 8th 2009, Desert Waters had its Spring Conference. Although small due to the economy, it was a great session and well represented by staff from all over the U.S.

One of the nice things during such events is that you get to talk to staff from different agencies and learn of their problems, progress and hopes.
 

This is what I’d like to share with the general public in our prison community.

Dear Neighbor:
Have you ever paid attention to a Correctional Officer in uniform? Perhaps, if you thought anything about him or her, you might have thought that they are overpaid, "lazy" people. What, you might wonder, could they possibly do to earn the big wages they make?

You know it is a crying shame when correctional staff says that the worst thing about their work is dealing with their fellow workers, and that the next worse thing is the administration. And finally, sometimes, and very few times, it’s the inmates. What’s wrong with this picture??

People, we all should and need to work together. If we don’t look out for each other, who is going to?

The doors are closed now at my old alma matter

The tunnels are quiet, no movement on the tiers

The cellblocks that used to have so much life

And yes, way, way too much death, are now quiet...

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.

In Memory of Tim “Mac” McGill

To act like dying is no big thing

it's our final act, a very personal thing

and the truth is most of the time

When I started writing articles for Desert Waters I told the boss lady Cat (I never have learned to pronounce her name right) that I not only hoped my letters would help staff to stop and think and realize that in Corrections some things never change, but that perhaps in time others would start to write to Desert Waters and give their experiences and outlook on Corrections.

As you know, Desert Waters keeps all Ventline contacts confidential. Even if a person gives their name, the names are not written down nor given out. (The exception is cases of threat to self or others and child abuse, if you give us identifying information. Then we have to report these situations.)

This is a letter to a group of people who have done something I never did, and that is serve in a combat zone. I was in the National Guard for over 17 years, but was never on active duty. I do have friends and loved ones who have served and I listened to what they said and, more importantly sometimes, I listened to what they didn’t say.

Yep, training is sometimes the most boring thing I’ve ever experienced. You sit in a classroom like a school kid, and here you are, a grown person, sometimes with your own kids in school. You think, I know this stuff. I’ve had it time and time again. Do they think we’re all idiots?

Well, it happened again. I've lost another sister who was in uniform and who died much too young. April was a young green Officer when I first met her.

These are words to a song, but they can also apply to Correctional staff. It gets old hearing it apply to Staff, but it's a way of life. For those of you who don't understand what this means, it means that staff have compromised themselves with inmates again, costing them their job and their career.

Have I changed so much just because I work in Corrections? I have heard this question asked over and over for 35 years and the answer is, YES. Let me count the reasons.

When I went to Sterling Correctional Facility as a housing Lt., I met a young man that I would grow to not only like, but to also call friend. My wife was in Penrose, Colorado and I was living in a small motel room.

The man next door was a strange one. He was quiet and on the outside appeared to be the same as you and me. Yet there were signs that he was different....

Sometimes the anger lies so close to the surface

Sometimes I feel like screaming in the night

This is what corrections has done for me

I’m cynical, distrusting and have little emotion...

One of the worst things a new Officer and even sometimes an old Officer can get into is workplace politics. I have seen what happens to people who play politics and what happens when their fellow staff find out.

I’ve been asked about the temptations staff face while working in a prison. There are so many, it is scary.