Correctional Officer

Correctional Officer

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.

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Last Answer on February 10, 2022

Best Rated

It can also be a retired correctional officer and we don't got to meat up for the questions , i can just e-mail them to you but if you can't that's fine. Thank you.

Asked by Isabel.velazquezloza over 7 years ago

You can email me at             .  I hope you are not in a big hurry for a response, but I will do what I can. 

If I want to be a CO in the state of California, would it matter if I was married to an inmate?

Asked by Michelle over 7 years ago

Officially, NO.  Unofficially, maybe.  IF he is heavily gang involved there will be some suspicion that you are a plant.  your background will be looked at more closely than it might be otherwise.  There is however no law nor civil service rule that prohibits hiring the family of current guests of the state as peace officers. 

Are most movies about prisons accurate when it comes to reality?

Asked by sofibour about 7 years ago

Not even remotely close.

Is there much aggression in the prison system?

Asked by sofibour about 7 years ago

Prisoners are by nature or by training and experience aggressive. Some of the staff are too. The two things sort of run together..

How jealous where inmates that you got to go home and have a happy life while they had to stay locked up?

Asked by Dude over 6 years ago

Typically not very. Most inmates are career criminals and know that getting locked up from time to time is the cost of doing business.

I am starting a new career as a CO after many years of being in the Health Care field, my husband is a CO and is against me working as a CO and says we cannot work in the same prison. How true is this?

Asked by alvag80 over 7 years ago

In CA that is NOT true.  The problem arises if one of you promotes.  The other can not work in his/her direct chain of command.  You could still work at the same facility. As long as one is not supervising the other it is not a problem.

What did your job specifically consist of?

Asked by Jada almost 7 years ago

The basic job description in the employment flier is a pretty good spot to look for that. Basically a Correctional Officer keeps an eye on inmates and provides services to them. We ensure that they are released for meals and jobs, get mail, get laundry done and, as much as possible, get along with each other and with staff. For more detailed info you can go to the CA Dept. of Corrections web site and download a job description from their employment opportunities section.