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.
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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That depends on the situation. During most of the day shifts there are a lot of people moving around and during graveyard shift you are usually very busy. Unless you are seriously into hurried quickies it is nice to have a little time, a little physical comfort and a little security (unless the possibility of getting caught is the turn-on for you). I would say it takes a certain amount of planning and a certain amount of favorable circumstances. Easy, NO. Possible, definitely. If one of the partners has a fair amount of juice and exclusive access to secure areas it makes it much easier.
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A lot of it will depend on you. The first two years it will be hard due to the llve-in academy followed by several months of rotating shifts. After he gets settled in to a regular job with known days off and a known shift it gets better, much better. (Some people bid for a VR (vacation relief) job when they can so they get some good gigs along with some crappy gigs.) When you get some seniority you can start bidding for jobs that you will probably like, working with people or working with situations that appeal to you. Some people never get used to it. Most people do. The closer to retirement it gets the more it looks like it was a good decision. Mule Creek is a relatively new, well laid out prison in a nice area. Last I heard it had a decent administration that supported the staff.
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In California there has been some court action and a settlement relating to dental care but I do not have a lot of information on it. I don't even remember the name of the case. The basic notion is that inmates are supposed to be able to get the same level of dental care that a free citizen would at state expense. In the old days bad teeth were just pulled and that was it. The state would kick down for dentures but I am not aware that they will kick down for dental implants and I doubt that the state dentists even do them, though it is possible they do. It is also possible that if they are not considered medically necessary but he (you) were willing and able to pay that they could be done. If it has to be done out of house and the state does not cover it you would be on the hook for the cost and for the security costs involved in the transportation, which would be considerable. You could simply write the medical-dental department at the prison where he is housed and ask. If you don't trust them, you could contact the federal receiver (J. Clark Kelso) who has oversight over the California prison system medical care for inmates, which includes psych and dental.
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You are talking about jails rather than prisons as far as I can tell. The rules are different, at least sometimes. Also, some Correctional Officers working for local jurisdictions are Public Officers, some are Peace Officers. Different rules there too. It is unlikely a C/O would be dating someone who is actually in jail where he works. That isn't exactly dating, though it could be sexual contact. In most situations in most states ANY sexual contact between custody and prisoners is highly illegal. It is considered rape under pretty much all circumstances and regularly leads to people getting fired and prosecuted. In most jurisdictions if a Peace Officer is actively involved with someone who is on probation or parole it must be reported to the employer. The relationship would be frowned on and might be considered illegal. It is a very dangerous, and very tricky, situation.
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Let me see, you want me to write your paper for you. No, I don't think so. Besides, at least in CA mailing is a right and not a privilege.
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If I remember correctly Cognitive Therapy theory has been around since the 1960s. The idea is that behavior, feelings and thoughts are linked (which I expect is correct for most people) and that patients can move forward to overcome challenges and meet goals by changing emotional responses, lame-ass thinking and bad behavior. It is my belief that the overwhelming number of criminals have made conscious, deliberate choices to be criminals. They were not thrust into the position by circumstances beyond their control. I believe that they WANT to be criminals and will, for the most part, continue to be criminals until they are too old, too sick or too dead to continue. For most criminals this has been a successful mechanism, reinforced by the criminal justice system and the med-psych profession. Assuming a person's goal is be continue to be a moderately successful burglar-rapist-robber-murderer, I am unsure that we should help them overcome obstacles to reaching their goal.
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