The purpose of the Division of Corrections is to develop and maintain a mission statement and goals relevant to the needs of the community and the Inmate population. It is important that all employees are in compliance with all rules that govern the division. This includes a work and living environment that is fair, reasonable, safe and secure. In my experience the best way to run a maximum security Institution is based on employee selection, policies and procedures and employee motivation.
At this institution a major problem is with Officers being too familiar with the residents. One of the requirements to be employed for the city is to reside in the city. An issue with this requirement is that St Louis itself is a small city, if grew up in the inner city you are familiar with a lot of people because of the schools you attended. In this field of work this leads to a lot of pressures with the residents. In recent years Officers are getting caught bringing contraband into the facility. An officer could still be pressured if they don’t know the resident on the outside world but it is less likely. I propose that hiring should be opened up to anyone residing in the State. If we reduce the chances of an Officer being familiar with a resident, we reduce fraternization in the facility. As a Correctional Officer you should not feel comfortable with the residents to talk to them about your personal information or personal information of other staff. On a daily basis Officer’s experience unethical dilemmas on the job. For this reason when hiring Officers their background should show that they have high ethical standards. This could be exhibited through social organizations, clubs or credentials.
Officers are given a ninety day probationary period, during this time they are evaluated and watched closely to determine if that can handle the operations of the job. A common mistake is that there are obvious signs that the Officer cannot handle the stresses and the pressures of the job. Often supervisors ignore the signs and give them a good ninety-day rating. Supervisors could also give a poor rating and upper management ignores the supervisors rating and allows them to become a permanent employee. This type of issue occurs due to the high turnover rate. Therefore, upper management’s main concern is having Officers to fill posts.
Every institution is governed by a set of policies and procedures. These documents instruct staff on how to handle certain situation. It is important that these policies be followed on a daily basis to ensure the consistency of the institution. Resident should know what to expect on a daily basis. This creates a good working environment for Officers. For example, a lot of residents do not have stools in their cells. This is due to the residents making them into weights, dismantling them and making them weapons. So as years pass some residents don’t have stools. The residents begin bringing the plastic chairs from the dayroom into their cells. This is a breach of security, due to the fact that these chairs can be used as a weapon towards another resident or Officer. Officers and Supervisors still allow them to have chairs in their cells. On one shift the Officers and Supervisors will not allow them to have chairs. On another shift the Officers and Supervisor will allow them to have them. This creates inconsistency with the residents. Our goal is to stay fair, firm and consistent.
In the past month at the Minimum and Maximum Security institution over hundred thousand dollars were used in overtime. This is due to furloughs, vacations, suspensions, call-ins and terminations. Although there is nothing that can be done about some of the reasons for lack of staff, other issues such as call-in and suspensions can be changed. If there is less overtime usage more money can be used to upgrade the building. This could mean better equipment for the Officers to