Correctional Officer Experience
MiSha Bagley
Introduction to Corrections/CJS 255
June 22, 2015
Sherri Webster
Correctional Officer Experience
How does the prison environment influence the way you ensure security and custody in your prison?
I work for a maximum security prison. Our mission is to ensure that the prison is operating safely and securely for all inmates and staff. The inmates tend to outnumber the staff due to overcrowding issues. As a result some correctional officers try to control the inmate’s behavior through threats, and intimidation. Inmates in my prison facility are in their cells twenty-three hours a day. During the other hour the inmates may use this time to shower and or exercise. All inmate movement is strictly controlled with the use of physical restraints and correctional officer escort. The inmates within our prison are violent offenders who have anger and mental issues. This causes an intense and volatile prison environment. A couple of ways we keep up security in our prison is by verifying each and every correctional officer is completely prepared and outfitted to manage mental and physical misuse and also keeping up their polished skills. Preparing each prison guard to learn and imply the three c's of corrections “Care, custody and control” to their everyday job duties. Each correctional officer, individual and staff that work inside the prison are in charge of overseeing each inmate in their rang, which means to keep up security on the grounds that staff are outnumbered by prisoners and keeping up supervision helps hold detainees under control as well as act rapidly to prisoners carrying on.

What methods of secure custody do you use in your prison? To ensure the safety of all inmates and staff we have a disciple policy in place. We have what is called a disincentives program. This is used to discipline inmates who violate prison rules. The disciplinary process includes an accusation of the violation, investigation of the incident, a hearing to determine guilt, and imposition of a sanction if found guilty. The disciplinary system includes a warning. This can be used as a temporary form of punishment. We also reprimand which is just a written record of misconduct that goes inside the inmate’s file. Assignment of extra duty if work assignments is also used as a form of punishment. Impoundment of property, loss of job, removal from programs or group activity, change of quarters, loss of privileges, monetary restitution, loss of good time and a disciplinary transfer are all used in the disciplinary process. In order to keep other inmates safe from violent offenders they can be place into a protective custody unit. Usually Inmates that are first time offenders, young offenders, or transgender offenders are usually those who require protective custody. This is because they are considered to be at a higher risk of being harmed or killed by the inmates because of their status or orientation.

How do you ensure professionalism among the corrections staff?
The community depends federal and state prisons and other correctional facilities to keep the public safe by operating secure facilities. Correctional officers code of conduct and ethical laws outline the expectations of how inmates should be treated and the level of professionalism that is expected. When