Bob Walsh
Stockton, CA
Male, 60
I worked for the California state system, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant in 2005. I now write for the PacoVilla blog which is concerned with what could broadly be called The Correctional System.
It is hard to say what stresses one person and not another. I never had a staff member murdered on the job in all the time I was there. I did have staff members die. I had to tell staff that family members had died. I had to tell inmates that family members died, and tell family members that inmates died, often violently. I had inmates I got along wel with murdered, at least once by mistaken identity of having gotten in the way of something that was going on.
For some people the on-going stress, not immediate situation stress, is what gets to them. When the alarm goes off you don't know if it is a false alarm or someone has just gotten murdered. At the end of shift and you really want to go home you can't, because some butthead called in sick so he could watch the game. (That happened to me on Y2K when a couple of guys that had been prescheduled to come it simply didn't show.)
Sometimes the stressors are from above, from management. I had one boss who I truly beleive was deliberately trying to get me hurt to force me out of the job. I had one or two others who were lazy and/or incompetent. One or two that were just plain nasty for no reason. I was screwed with repeatedly on promotional opportunities, little things like mailing my interview notice to a "mistaken" zip code in Saskatchewan so I got it after my interview date. Once I showed up for a promotion interview 12 minutes early and I was ordered to leave as I was "too early" or I would be arrested for trespassing. Really. You get used to the inmates trying to screw you over. Its expected. You don't get used to staff trying to screw you over.
Soledad was a very violent place at that time. People trying to kill you just because you are there can mess with your head.
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Not exactly my field of expertise, I have never been a street cop. My guess is that within the city limits it is a no-no and would be considered a weapon.
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Gangs are an operational fact of life in prison. Simple membership in a gang is, as far as I know, no longer cause for placing a prisoner in segregation. The prison has to be able to demonstrate that the prisoner is engaging in some inappropriate activity on behalf of the gang in order to segregate that person from the general population. The fact that inmates are allowed to congregate at certain times and in certain places means that gangs are able to operate. It comes with the territory..
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Correctional Officer is an entry level position. The principle skills you must have to GET the job are an adequate educational level, the ability to read and write decently and a satisfactory background. Other skills you will be taught and develop as you go. The general duties are to supervise and supply security / custody for prisoners.
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Certified Nurse Aide
What's it like going into a room in the morning to find someone dead?
Stand-Up Comedian
What types of crowds are the worst for you to to perform for?
Nurse Practitioner
Could a nurse practitioner do the job of a primary care physician?
Only a high school diploma or GED is required for entrance. There is significant training at the academy, currently 12 weeks, and regular required In-Service Training. Work conditions can be difficult. There is shift work involved, especially when you have little seniority. Most areas of the prisons are not air conditioned and during the summer they can be unpleasant. Sometimes people try to kill you, though that does not happen often. You have to be willing to listen, willing to learn, willing to take orders and be willing to interact tactfully with people who don't particularly want to listen to you. It is an entry level position so there is no actual EXPERIENCE required beyond a satisfactory history as a law-abiding citizen, though a stable work or school history before application is highly desirable and looks good.
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I do not agree with your basic premise, so it is difficult for me to make a meaningful response to your question.
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Assuming it is an entry level position (it is in CA where I worked) they will not expect you to know much about the actual job. That is what they have training academies for. They will be interested in your general notions about the prison system, use of force and that sort of thing. They may want some basic info about your writing skills (way back when a short written presentation was part of the oral exam. I don't know if it still is or not). They may wonder about how you feel about shift work. The truth is always a good response in such things. Thoughtful responses but not off-the-cuff are also good. Flippant is bad. They will want to know about any potential blips in your history, like drug use, recent minor criminal activity, even a history of minor traffic infractions is often a red flag as it can indicate a lack of respect for authority or "the system." DUI, especially moderately recent, is also a bad thing. It is good if you have an honest and sincere interest in a CAREER as opposed to just a job. Flexibility is good. If you go in telling them you can't work nights or weekend because of this or that or the other thing they are likely to think you are not truly interested in the gig, or you will be as problem child if you get the gig.
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