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

I mean it would not surprise me that they would be hated but I hear it all the time. I would think that CO’s would intervene in instances but sometimes I would think things would happen to quickly. Are they ever in separate hosing or protective custody?

Asked by Kyle almost 5 years ago

Sometimes sex offenders are placed in specialized housing where pretty much everybody there is a sex offender. I think they call it "special needs" now rather than "protective custody." The department tries real hard not to load up on special needs housing because the administration of such housing is a pain in the ass.

I don’t think PRIVATE CITIZENS should have public records it sets people up for people to take it and misuse it. People who need the information should have a process of getting it not just have everything about you online unless YOU publish it. Absurd

Asked by Xnxn almost 5 years ago

I don't publish anything. Also by law, public records are available to the public. That is why they are public records. A police blotter is a public record. You can walk in off the street and see it. You don't even need a reason. Same thing with a police watch record, or mug shots. Same thing with who is in custody at any given time, as long as they are adults. If you object to that, you should contact your legislators and have the law changed.

So with the 50 genders and counting how many new units and prisons will we need because we have men’s and women’s prisons but we need gender neutral, non binary And all the other genders and sexes housing.

Asked by Karli about 5 years ago

Fortunately I retired before this started. Under the "old" rules if you had a penis, and your birth certificate said MALE you were a male. Anything else was open for discussion. The new rules are still being worked on. I do know that in one prison (NOT in CA) the prison system is being sued because a "real" female prisoner was allegedly raped by a trans-female prisoner who had been housed in a women's prison.

Did you have to go through the police academy and do you have to be a post certified peace officer?

Asked by Haylee about 5 years ago

In CA there is a C-POST for correctional officers. The academy runs about 14 weeks right now. Many street cops have an academy that runs six months. Correctional Officers don't need to know a lot of what street cops need, like search and seizure. You have to pass the academy to be sworn in to legally do the job. Correctional Officers fall under a different section of the penal code than do street cops and our police authority exists only within the course of our employment. Typically this is persons and property under the jurisdiction of the department, though there are exceptions to this, such as escape pursuits.

Is it true that people who say are child molesters, rapists, murders, people who do really bad things are beaten, raped, and treated horribly versus people who are in on drug charges and other things that aren’t the end of the world so to speak

Asked by Kyle almost 5 years ago

Used to be VERY common in "the old days." Now there are so many child molesters and general purpose sex offenders locked up in relation to the general population the other convicts would spend all day thumping on them and never get anything else done.

Have prisoners ever taught you anything?

Asked by Dan almost 5 years ago

Not that I specifically recall, no. I am sure it happened, but just wasn't very noteworthy.

Why are you pointing a gun at me sir?

Asked by Tim over 4 years ago

Somebody has to do it. You could be dangerous.