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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454 Questions

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Last Answer on February 10, 2022

Best Rated

What do you guys do if there is a big fight, someone is being bullied, and other violent activities that happen in prison

Asked by Jim over 4 years ago

We hardly ever hear about bullying, so we seldom do anything about it.

Large fights we gas the crap out of them. It is hard to fight if you can't see and if you are puking your guts out. If that doesn't work we either shoot them or beat them with clubs. Both are effective.

Are the lock down orders constitutional?

Asked by Dimmie over 4 years ago

I am not a constitutional lawyer. My understanding of the law is that they are very dubious. A quarantine order, which IS constitutional, is issued by a court or by competent medical authority against a specific named person. None of these lockdown orders do that.

Do you think that police departments should be defunded?

Asked by Mark over 4 years ago

I am not mentally deranged nor am I a politician-whore, so NO I do not.

Was there anyone you felt bad for in prison? Maybe someone who was just having a rough patch, someone who you did not think deserved to be in prison, someone who you thought or was innocent, or any other reason? Why or why not?

Asked by John over 4 years ago

The only one I felt even a little bit sorry for was a young fellow who was more than a little mentally deficient who had been manipulated by a older girl to kill a younger girl so the younger girl could not testify against the father in a child rape case. Other than that, not really. It is VERY HARD to get into prison. Almost nobody goes to the joint the first time around.

Keep a eye out I think there is a troll asking questions. Watch for the same writing styles, outrageous stories, asking the same questions over and over again, posting links, asking dumb and irrelevant questions, among other non sense.

Asked by Jessica about 4 years ago

Sometimes Trolls can be fun.

How do you contain prisoners at times when they might get out of hand. Say a fight you have people fighting and then you have opportunists who might try to d something while the guards are distracted. How do you manage mayhem?

Asked by Sammy about 4 years ago

Physical containment is actually fairly effective. You only have so many people in a given area and eventually you will be able to find out who they are. If bodies start dropping you know who was there, or at least who could have been there. Poured in place cement walls, detention quality doors and very good fences do that job fairly well. If push comes to shove we thump on people, use chemical agents or them, or shoot them to make them stop. Eventually they stop.

What are programs you liked in prison and disliked?

Asked by Connie over 4 years ago

While I was working there were a lot of good vocational programs at the prison. They had an auto body and paint program, and auto mechanics program, office machine repair and an FAA certified Air Frame and Air Engine program. There was also a very small program for waste water treatment plant operations and a map making program that made maps for CalFire. Those programs went away when the prison went to a total reception center operation. Now that the RC program is gone and the prison is going back to General Population some of these programs MAY be coming back. Or not.