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.
I worked in an exclusively male facility. Some of the "liberal" notions have been long-term helpful, some not. The idea of forced integration of cells is stupid, it is an idea pushed by people who have never worked inside a prison. I am also bothered by some of the issues with medical care. Spending $1.2 million for a heart transplant for a death row inmate is IMHO stupid. Also, forcing the state to buy name brand (rather than generic) drugs for prisoners is a significant cost for no good purpose. It is still too early to sell what issues gender identification / gender identity may bring to the system. It was of course easier in "the old days" when prisoners had zero rights and the courts did not stick their noses into prison operations. Easier was not necessarily better however.
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Very few humans are willing to blame their own problems, or the problems of their family, on themselves. Therefore they blame others, or forces beyond their control, to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions. It is human nature. Humans are funny critters.
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Nothing. The prisoners mostly deal with that issue.
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I am unfamiliar with that particular program so I am unable to make a reasonable response. Generally speaking I did not find that "Scared Straight" type programs were helpful in the long run. They could have a positive effect on wobblers, but the hard-core wannabe criminals were not impressed. It should be noted that my personal contact with any of these programs was minimal so my opinion may not be worth much.
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Are IRS auditors more accommodating when you're polite with them?
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Are you instructed to "push" certain menu items that are at risk of going bad?
Not that I know of, but it does happen from time to time.
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Depends who you ask. If you were to ask Governor Newsom the people being let out early are all wonderful human beings who are only in prison for singing too loud in church. If you ask anybody else they would say something different. CA judges offenders for their most recent conviction offense. So a person can be a multiple convicted child molester, a murderer and a rapist and if his most recent conviction was for shoplifting they consider that person to be a low risk, non-violent offender. CA is strange.
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Depends. When I was a C/O I carried a radio (usually) and alarm (usually), handcuffs, glove pouch, and a baton of one sort of other. Also normally a double key pouch (usually a semi-auto magazine holder) for holding keys. When I was a Sgt. and Lt. the radio became normal, the alarm less so (the alarms are area specific and supervisors usually moved around more). Often the baton went away too, depending on what assignment I was on. When I was the patrol sgt. on very rare occasions I carried a .38 revolver.
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