Tales from the Local Jail

Everyone in corrections can remember officers from their early days when they were new to the institution. Some of us had prior law enforcement experience; to others the working in a correctional facility and managing criminal offenders were things to be experienced and learned. Recently I was reading Doug Wylie’s PoliceOne column 10 Traits of a Good Mentor. He discussed the great mentors in his life and career; one was his father. I began to think of one of the mentors in my career.

In early 1978, I had just entered the corrections field after a combined four years working the street in two different law enforcement agencies. The only jail view I had was the booking area where offenders under arrest were brought.Though I studied corrections in college and had toured the nearby local jail, I was not that familiar with the inner operations, security procedures, contraband concerns, etc., as veteran deputies were. The deputies in my squad had worked the jail for a few years, I had not.

After passing the two week jail certification course mandated by the state, I reported for duty. This was 1978. Many training practices for rookies had been in place for a while and were informal. They usually consisted of pairing up a veteran officer or deputy with a new one and working as a team until the squad supervisor was comfortable with a rookie being ‘cut loose’ to work independently. My squad members were OK, ranging from quiet to talkative. All knew their jobs well. We all got along.

Although everyone gave me a warm welcome, I will always remember a deputy sheriff supervisor who made a lasting impression on me that stayed with me throughout my career. He was my immediate supervisor, a corporal. His name I will keep to myself; he was never one for the spotlight. Let’s call him “Corporal Bob”. As I read the column by Doug Wylie, it became clear to me that many of the traits of a good mentor he wrote about I could apply to Corporal Bob.

Every correctional officer can think of another officer that got them started down the right path and left an impression that stayed with them. Everyone could state what traits that this person had; lists would vary, but all would have positive attributes. Good mentors can be supervisors, training officers, or just experienced officers in the facility. Based on my experience with Corporal Bob and drawing from Doug Wylie’s column, I have devised my own list on what traits make a good mentor in corrections. So-here they are:

• Willingness: Good mentors have a willingness to teach, instruct and bring out the best in the officers they are working with. They want to do this, and look upon the task of training as much more as just part of the job. By cajoling and positive coaching, they bring out the best work practices in an officer, which will help the agency.
• Ethics: Good mentors believe in the code of ethics and living up to the public trust. You will not see them, for example, taking home office supplies, shirking their duties or taking ‘freebies’ from local restaurants. They view the badge and uniform as much more than ‘baubles’ and clothing. They represent the mission of the agency, the public trust and the serious nature of the job.
• Leading by example: They walk around, asking officers how they are doing and what they need. They perform their duties professionally; they are people to look up to. They get down in the trenches occasionally to see what is going on, jumping in to help the front line with their duties.
• Learning: Good mentors never think that they know it all. There are always opportunities to learn. Some have to be made. For example, when I started in 1978, there was no manual of standard operating procedures to speak of, just a book of memorandums that agency supervisors had available for staff to look at once per shift. Roll calls were short and corrections classes available in the academy were few. Corporal Bob had copied every operational memo and organized them into his own manual. The first day on the job he showed me around and loaned his manual to me. He said to read it and he would be glad to answer any questions or clear up anything I did not understand. A good mentor supports the training branch and encourages staff to attend seminars to learn, not just to get their hours in.
• Enthusiasm and curiosity: Mentors recognize enthusiasm in their staff and encourage it. They say thank you and are complimentary when a task is performed well. They want staff to be curious as to why things are done a certain way and can they be done more efficiently. Mentors always encourage new ideas to work smarter, not harder. They recognize hard work.
• Communications: Corporal Bob was a good listener and great verbal communicator. I cannot remember a single instance of interrupting, controlling a conversation or sarcasm. He listened and responded clearly, articulately and maturely. When he spoke or gave advice or orders, it was clear and we knew what was expected of us.
• Maturity: A good mentor is mature, acts like an adult and treats others like adults. Maturity comes from having a balance in one’s life-a personal life with interests to counteract the stress of the job. I never saw Corporal Bob stressed out, tired or angry. I looked forward to going to work knowing that he was my supervisor.

Corporal Bob went on to become one of the best squad lieutenants the agency had. Corporal Bob-I don’t know where you are now or what you are doing. You retired before me and I hope that you are enjoying life. If by chance you read this, you probably will recognize yourself and hopefully remember me. All I can say is that I had a great jail career and learned a lot-thanks to you.

Thank you, Corporal Bob.

Reference:

10 Traits of a Great Mentor, by Doug Wylie, PoliceOne Editor in Chief.

www.policeone.com, May 8, 2014.

Corrections.com author, Lt. Gary F. Cornelius retired in 2005 from the Fairfax County (VA) Office of the Sheriff, after serving over 27 years in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. He conducts corrections in service training sessions and has taught corrections classes at George Mason University since 1986. Gary’s books include The Art of the Con: Avoiding Offender Manipulation, Second Edition (2009) from the American Correctional Association and The Correctional Officer: A Practical Guide, Second Edition (2010) from Carolina Academic Press.

Visit the Gary Cornelius page

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In retirement, you keep on learning. In putting a training class together, I like to research through print and on line the events that are happening in our nation’s jails and prisons. I tell my classes that “Nothing surprises me”; I learn every day. I am going to talk about three escapes from custody that are surprising for several reasons: daring, ingenuity and unfortunately-staff mistakes. Hence the title-but I will get to that later. First, let’s look at three escapes:

• In 2007, a jail inmate in Indiana stripped, squeezed his 130 pound body through a cellblock door food slot and redressed. He was caught wandering through the jail looking for an unlocked door-and freedom (Associated Press, 2007).
• In 2014, an Oregon state prison inmate managed to do the following in one night: jumped into a cellblock laundry cart, burrowed himself under inmates’ dirty clothes, broke out windows, drilled out a door lock, broke into a metal cage that stored tools, broke through a wall in the prison laundry, dragged bags of tools, dug a hole under one fence, and climbed over a second fence. He exhausted himself and gave up. Tired and bleeding, he huddled under a blanket in the recreation yard and waited for officers to find him, which they did. The interesting thing to note that one day before, the facility had been on alert because of another escape attempt. Both inmates used dummy heads in their bunks to fool officers. One inmate even put headphones on the dummy head. (A nice touch, don’t you think?) (Zaitz, 2014).
• In 2012, a Virginia jail inmate climbed over a brick wall and barbed wire in the jail recreation yard. In a jailhouse interview, he said that no one noticed for hours. He was able to scale the barriers because only one deputy was on duty in a control booth overlooking the recreation area. He described his escape as a ‘piece of cake’, and he had two days of freedom in the community. While at large, he stayed with a local woman and even had his hair cut into a stylish buzz cut. He is serving a 14 year sentence for armed robbery, insisted that he was not dangerous, but was only trying to get home to his family. In the interview, he asked for the public’s help to get home to his children (McNamara, 2012).

Those of us who have worked inside correctional facilities know that inmates have the energy and intelligence to try to escape. But as a veteran correctional officer I could not help but wonder if these inmates took advantage of staff complacency; maybe thinking that the staff did not question enough their own authority.

What I mean is this: the correctional officer is the backbone, the foundation of any security system inside a correctional facility, no matter what the custody level or type of housing. In these cases, the inmates had the opportunity and the time to get away. They took advantage of short staffing and apparently, staff complacency. I am not saying that these officers did not do their jobs well or are incompetent. What I am saying that custody is a constant ‘cat and mouse’ game, and officers always have to think of ways to perform the task of security more effectively. Wiggling through a food slot and exhausting oneself in an escape attempt takes advantage of staff not being around, or not ‘nosy’ enough to frequently check areas in the facility. I do not believe that all inmate escapes can be prevented-but I shudder to think of the possible IQs of some inmates that try. But we must do what we can to prevent escapes. Think of both the chagrin of the staff and the disgust from the public if inmates pull one over on officers in your facility and escape, especially taking all night to do it.

If an inmate had all night to try to break out of a correctional facility, then both supervisors and line staff must reexamine how the task of security is accomplished. It begins with self-examination. All staff must, in a sense, question their authority. They should ask questions, such as:

• Are we aggressively making our rounds throughout the facility? By aggressively, I mean are we really making our presence known? Do inmates very frequently have to look over their shoulder to see where officers and staff are? Sure-no squad of officers can be everywhere at once-but we sure should try.
• Are we ‘nosy’ enough? Just because a door is locked at 3: AM may not mean that all is well. Do we look around enough? Are our searches thorough enough? Do we go into areas that are empty and check them anyway?
• Are we too complacent? Do we think that just because nothing has happened in a while, such as an escape, that all is well? As professionally as we are trained, and as proud of the job as we are-remember: out in those cells inmates are always thinking of ways to do time on their terms-or not do time at all.

The three escape stories posted in this blog have one thing in common: Correctional staffs were not present enough or not attentive enough. Inmates knew this and used it to their advantage. After an escape, supervisors can say that maybe it was due to short staffing, officer fatigue or flaws in the security system. No matter what reason is given, correctional staff must be innovative, find more effective ways to do the job, and often have to ‘do more with less’. The men and women who work inside our nation’s correctional institutions are deserving of our support and respect. We all should put our heads together-from the top management down to the squad level-and think of how to do the job better.

Question your authority-question how you do your job. Make the necessary changes or adaptations. The facility-your bread and butter, the place that pays the bills and to who the public places its trust-may run more efficiently.

References:

Associated Press. (March 8, 2007). Skinny inmate escapes through food slot. Pantagraph.com, http://www.pantagraph.com, Accessed March 15, 2007.

McNamara, Ann. (September 28, 2012). Inmate says escape was a ‘piece of cake’. WAVY, http://www.wavy.com, Accessed January 8, 2013.

Zaitz, Les. (January 24, 2014). The Oregonian. CorrectionsOne News, http://www.correctionsone.com, Accessed January 24, 2014.

Corrections.com author, Gary Cornelius, is an interim member on the Board of the International Association of Correctional Training Personnel (IACTP) representing local jails. He is also a member of ACA, AJA, and the American Association of Correctional and Forensic Psychology. In 2008, Gary co founded ETC, LLC, Education and Training in Corrections with colleague Timothy P. Manley, MSW, LCSW, Forensic Social Worker.

  

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As a retired jail deputy sheriff, I try to keep up with events and developments in the field that was my home for over 27 years. So it was with great interest that I came across a recent article from National Public Radio (NPR) dated January 2, 2014 titled: Food as Punishment: Giving U.S. Inmates ‘The Loaf’ Persists by Eliza Barclay.

It is a well written article that described very clearly why and how the ‘Loaf’ is used in our nation’s prisons and jails. Simply stated, the ‘Loaf’ (Nutraloaf, Nutritious Food Loaf, etc.) is a bread loaf containing vegetables and other foods that are baked in. In some correctional facilities, food staff varies the ingredients. For example, at the Orangeburg-Calhoun (SC) Regional Detention Center, the Nutraloaf blend is a mixture of turkey, fresh vegetables, tomato puree, flour and eggs. Chili powder and salt are added to spice it, and it is baked for an hour. Each ‘loaf’ weighs about 32 ounces and totals about 3,000 calories, 200 calories more than is recommended per meal by the South Carolina Department of Corrections (Sarata, 2010).

Inmates in our nation’s jails who are on disciplinary segregation may receive the ‘loaf’ several times per day in lieu of the regular inmate menu, if it is the policy of the jail in which they are confined.

According to NPR, the ‘loaf’ has been targeted in inmate lawsuits and by some corrections professionals and researchers. The American Correctional Association discourages the use of food as a measure to enforce inmate discipline, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons states that it has never used the ‘loaf’ in its system. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opines that restrictions on food in correctional facilities or taking it away have been in a way “legally right on the line”. So-some inmates have filed suit, saying that the ‘loaf’ is cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Inmate litigators have some backup-prison ‘gruel’, a pasty potato substance was considered unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1970s. Also, a recent informal survey conducted at a meeting of the Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliates indicated that the use of the ‘loaf’ is decreasing in approximately 40% of the responding correctional facilities and about a third (30%) state that they do not use it at all. It has not been easy to dislodge the ‘loaf’; since the beginning of 2012, none of the 22 lawsuits litigating against it have been successful (Barclay, 2014).

So, with all that is going on about the ‘loaf’, what are my views? What should be done?

Keep it.

You may ask:

• “Have I ever tasted the ‘loaf’?

Yes.

• “Did it taste good?”

No. I have brought the ‘loaf’ into both my in service jail classes and my corrections college classes. I give a taste to anyone who would like to try it. [One of my college students ate several pieces-he said that he was hungry and it was not so bad.] I tell my classes that there is no dipping sauce made that would ever make the ‘loaf’ taste good.

• Would I like to eat it every day?

No. I can understand how some inmates on disciplinary segregation may “loathe the loaf”. I can understand that that it is unappetizing and unappealing; and when the inmates all around you are getting hamburgers and fries (they smell so good), you have to unwrap the ‘loaf’ from a greasy plain brown paper bag and eat it.

• Then why do you want to use it?

Because it is jail. In a jail you must have order, security and safety. As a jail correctional deputy with two tours in classification in my career, I worked with a dedicated, hardworking professional staff that would conduct many disciplinary hearings. After a while, you know who the disciplinary problems are. You are not surprised when you pick up an inmate’s file and you have to conduct the fifth or sixth (or more) disciplinary hearing. You remember that you gave inmates a rulebook; you tried to convey to them the importance of reading it, going along with the staff, treating other inmates and staff with respect and obeying the rules of the jail. You come to realize that many never read the rules and are now in an environment that enforces rules-and their lives have been spent not obeying rules or disrespecting others. You talk to the disciplinary problems-some learn their lesson and are sorry and maybe deserve another chance in population. Others lie, scheme and put on a “mask of contriteness”; while secretly itching to get back into population thinking “I won’t get caught next time”. Some are released from disciplinary segregation and end up back in the ‘hole’ with new charges. Some-even on disciplinary segregation-feign medical reasons for not eating the ‘loaf’.

Two Main Concerns

I have two main concerns. The first, to me, is that the ‘loaf’ is a management tool. Things in jail that we take for granted on the outside including television, recreation (gym), telephones, mail and food are all welcome breaks and distractions in the monotonous life of an inmate. If staff through due process takes away one of these welcome distractions-such as a variety of food-because of serious rule infractions, maybe, just maybe a ‘light bulb’ will go off in the inmate and he or she will think: “ I had better wise up and obey the rules”, or “I cannot eat this again”. After graduated sanctions such as warnings, reprimands, suspended disciplinary time, and loss of privileges, using the ‘loaf’ in disciplinary segregation may be one of the last resorts that staff can use to get an inmate’s attention.

Second-and most important-is staff safety. The men and women who patrol our nation’s jails have to deal with abrasive, unruly, nasty and violent inmates who are chronic rule breakers. They put their lives on the line every day and are frequently the target of inmate abuse. These jail officers deserve our unwavering support and respect. They are aware of the dangers involved with supervising inmates such as having to restrain them, maintain order, enforce the rules and maintain safety and security for all in the jail. If they charge an inmate with a serious rule infraction and that inmate is found guilty-actions have consequences:

• “Goodbye jail menu-hello ‘loaf’!”
• “Don’t like the ‘loaf’? Obey the rules next time.”

In closing, I think that Josh Gelinas, spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Corrections said it best when asked about the use of Nutraloaf (Barclay, 2014):
“There is very little that we [staff] can take away from them [inmates] when they commit these infractions, but we will not compromise our officers’ safety or put them in harm’s way.”

Well said.

References:

1. Barclay, Eliza. (January 2, 2014). Food as Punishment: Giving U.S. Inmates ‘The Loaf’ Persists. National Public Radio, the salt: food for thought. Retrieved January 7, 2014 from http://www.npr.org
2. Sarata, Phil. (May 16, 2010). Nutraloaf: Inmates hate it, jail officials say it works. The TandD.com. Retrieved January 7, 2014 from http://thetanddd.com

Corrections.com author, Gary Cornelius, is an interim member on the Board of the International Association of Correctional Training Personnel (IACTP) representing local jails. He is also a member of ACA, AJA, and the American Association of Correctional and Forensic Psychology. In 2008, Gary co founded ETC, LLC, Education and Training in Corrections with colleague Timothy P. Manley, MSW, LCSW, Forensic Social Worker.

Visit the Gary Cornelius page

Other articles by Cornelius:

  

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Recently I wrote a column for my blog “Tales from the Local Jail” titled “Does

Your Jail Pass the Smell Test”? I discussed certain aspects of jail life and services

that if not handled properly will make your jail “stink”. These aspects necessary

to escape liability under the Eighth Amendment that guards against cruel and

unusual punishment, per the U.S. Supreme Court, are: food, clothing, sanitation,

shelter, medical care, personal safety and recreation. If not afforded properly to

inmates in accordance with established case law, the jail can be held liable in a

civil action.

Now it is time for Part II: staff. Let’s talk about what staff can do to cause a

figurative odor in the facility. Problem staff members may display “red flags”-

warnings that you may see; giving you a chance to correct effectively deal with

the problem. Others may explode without warning and all of a sudden there is a

major problem.

According to Jeffrey Ian Ross, Associate Professor of Criminology at the University

of Baltimore, there are twelve primary types of correctional staff deviance. Some

are more severe than others, but they all can contribute to a climate of staff

incompetence and bad publicity (Ross, 2008).

Let’s look at each in detail (Ross, 2008):

• Improper Use/Misuse of Agency Equipment and Property: This can range from photocopying personal material to using agency vehicles for

  personal use.

• Mishandling/Theft of Inmate Property: While officers must search inmate property in the battle against contraband, officers who steal

  inmate property or intentionally mishandle or damage it must be

  disciplined.

• Drinking and drug abuse on the job: Being hung over, drunk, or under

  the effects of abusing drugs can negatively affect the job. Not only is

  the officer less safe and alert, the staff and inmates who depend on

  him for safety are in danger also.

• Accepting gifts: Correctional staff must be able to say “no” and not

  accept favors and gifts from inmates and any businesses. This shows

  favoritism and weakness-staff can be “bought”.

• Discrimination: This can appear ugly. Tax paying citizens will be upset

  when they hear reports of correctional staff being members of groups

  such as the Ku Klux Klan or the Aryan Brotherhood. If inmates are

  mistreated, are injured or die because of bigoted, racist staff, how can

  anyone view the jail as safely and professionally run?

• Abuse of authority: Correctional staff members are in positions of

  power, and cannot let that “go to their heads”. If jail staff members

  verbally harass inmates, embarrass them, humiliate them, and grant

  favors to certain inmates and mistreat others, this will result in a

  negative jail climate and ill feelings among the inmate population.

• General boundary violations: Jail staff must be able to resist

  manipulation by inmates. This must be part of a comprehensive

  training program for sworn and non-sworn staff. Inmates are great

  schemers and have lived their lives by using people. Staff must be

  aware of this and learn techniques to resist manipulation.

• Sexual harassment of colleagues: Sexual harassment means a hostile

  work environment. A jail should be a professional place to work

  without staff making unwanted sexual advances, date requests, sexual

  jokes, etc.

• Smuggling contraband: Contraband in the hands of inmates is

  dangerous for all. Staff who smuggle in drugs, weapons, cell phones,

  etc. should be fired.

• Theft of facility property: If staff is stealing office supplies, food, etc.

  this sends a bad image to the public-it says that such officers are not

  any better than the inmates.

• Sexual misconduct: It is hard to understand why staff becomes

  intimately involved with inmates for two reasons: first, it is against

  the law as most if not all states have criminal statutes against carnal

  knowledge of offenders in custody. Second, considering the lifestyle

  and the physical and mental health problems of inmates (intravenous

  drug use, alcohol abuse, mental health problems, communicable

  diseases, poor hygiene, etc.) why would any correctional staff member

  risk his or her health and well-being? There are some red flags that

  can clearly indicate that a staff member is heading down the “slippery

  slope” of sexual misconduct including: flirting with inmates, neglecting

  duties to socialize with inmates, absences off post for long periods of

  time, accepting and sending notes to inmates, accepting gifts from

  inmates, coming in on days off to see an inmate, calling inmates by

  nicknames, inmates using the staff member’s first name, getting overly

  “made up”, or being seen in out of the way areas with an inmate. I am

  sure that you can think of others. It is important to have blunt, plain

  talks to staff about sexual misconduct, combined with a warning about

  criminal charges, disciplinary action and termination from the job. In

  other words-a zero tolerance policy must be in place.

• Violence Against Inmates: This “smell” will arise when the public

  reads about jail officers injuring inmates through physical beatings

  and misuse of restraints. According to Ross-and it makes sense-most

  violent acts against inmates by correctional staff are psychological.

  These include: tearing up mail, searching more often than necessary,

  denying privileges, etc., all showing the inmates “who is in charge”.

  When this attitude turns physical-trouble results. In class, I discuss

  examples of jail officers being criminally convicted and losing their

  careers and their freedom because of physically abusing inmates.

  One example is the Oklahoma jail officer who in 2012 pleaded guilty

  in federal court to excessive force, violating the civil rights of an

  inmate, falsifying records and making false statements to the FBI.

  The officer was 26 years old-and his law enforcement career is over

  (Muskogeephoenix.com, 2012).

Oh-and let’s not forget this category: “Glued to the chair”: Jail inmates

will take advantage of staff laziness. Does your jail have officers that do

their required checks in a lazy, halfhearted manner? Does it appear that

they are “glued” to their post chair? Inmates will take such opportunities

of staff laziness to do several things, none that put the jail in a good light:

manufacture/smuggling of contraband, sexual and physical assault on other

inmates, work on escaping and unfortunately, suicide.

Is anyone in your jail paying attention to what staff is doing? Do we see

warning signs of some staff behaving in the ways I just described? Are

supervisors counseling officers, taking disciplinary action and communicating

to staff what will happen when they behave in such negative ways?

If you are a jail staff member and see the bad behaviors that have been

discussed in this article, you must let your supervisors know. Is the smell

going to get worse? Are you going to eliminate the source of the smell, or just

ignore it? If you ignore it, it will not go away.

References:

1. Former jailer pleads guilty to assault of inmate. May 17, 2012. Phoenix Staff

   Reports. Muskogeephoenix.com. http://muskogeephoenix.com (Accessed May

   19, 2012).

2. Ross, Jeffrey Ian Ph.D. (2008). Special Problems in Corrections. Upper Saddle River:

   Pearson Prentice Hall.

  

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I teach in service classes for jail personnel and discuss such topics as liability, interacting with inmates and how inmates do time. I enjoy it and have always thought that while jails are dangerous places to work, occasionally inmates will gripe and complain and are justified in doing so. We are not perfect, and sometimes mistakes are made. Mistakes can be in good faith; some are the result of officer stupidity and an “I don’t care attitude”.

I talk in class about what I informally call “CO Self Tests”. Examples could include:

• “How are the conditions in your jail-would you want to live there as an inmate?”
• “Think of your colleagues-are there some that will get the agency into a lawsuit?”

After being associated for 35 years with jails as an active duty deputy sheriff and as an instructor and author in retirement, I know that many lawsuits against jail personnel are unjustified and frivolous. But-inmates have occasionally won their day in court. I am firmly convinced that jail personnel can prevent losses in court by being proactive-thinking ahead and trying to foresee dangerous pitfalls and not step into them. Jail training instructors and supervisors should take a simple, clear approach in avoiding areas of liability by taking the jail “smell test”.

This column will address Part I: poor jail conditions that “ripen” the jail for grievances and possible civil rights actions. Poor staff-Part II, will be in a future column.

So-let’s keep it simple and use inmate litigation as a guide. No fancy legal terms, etc.; just a common sense look at what the courts have said must be provided to inmates and an urge to think about how your jail conditions measure up. In Wilson v. Seiter, 111 S. Ct. 2321 (1991), the United States Supreme Court clarified what conditions of confinement, if poorly managed and not properly provided for, applied to the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (cruel and unusual punishment) and could give inmates a civil rights claim. Staff-you¬-can be found liable if you show deliberate indifference to these conditions, and as a result, inmates are denied the “minimal civilized measure of life’s necessities”. These do not have to be “lumped together”; they can be considered separately[2,3].

In other words-can your jail pass the “smell test”? Do any of these aspects of confinement emit an odor? If they do there may be something spoiling underneath. You are the only one that can answer these questions.

Let’s examine each one in a common sense way [2,3]:

• Food: Is food that is spoiled being served to inmates? Are utensils and trays clean? Is the food nutritious? When you inspect kitchen areas and observe food workers (including inmate “trusties”), are they clean? Would you eat off an inmate food cart?
• Clothing: We have come a long way concerning inmate clothing. During my jail career, I have seen inmates wear durable, comfortable clothing that was discarded when worn out. Footwear has improved. Is that true in your institution? If shoes do not fit or wear out, for example, can inmates get prompt replacements? Is the facility laundry doing its job and keeping inmate clothing clean? Are clothes in such ragged states that inmates are not provided privacy? Clothing cases are rare, but “never say never”.
• Shelter: Included in this category is the overall environment: maintenance, noise, heating, cooling, ventilation and cell size. You have no control as to cell size, but look at the others: Are inmates too noisy? Are the heating, air conditioning and climate control all working properly? If anything breaks down-such as air conditioning and the inmates are sweltering, is maintenance responding quickly and fixing the problem properly? When something breaks down-is there an effective notification system or will maintenance “get around to it in time-after all they are just inmates”. Shelter cases come up when the facility is old-so if you work in a jail that was built, for example in the 1950s-how are the conditions?
• Sanitation: Most inmates practice hygiene-they regularly take showers; they use a toothbrush and deodorant. Tensions can run high in a cellblock if the toilet is backed up or the shower does not drain. If pests such as cockroaches, mice, etc. infest inmate living areas, correctional officers will have tough tours of duty. Are sanitation problems in your facility addressed quickly? Are inmates required to keep their living and work areas clean and are they given adequate supplies to do so?
• Medical care: How efficient are communications between the inmates and the medical staff? Are inmate health problems and complaints adequately addressed? Are mentally ill inmates properly screened and managed? Have you observed inmates complain of serious ailments or symptoms and have had to wait long periods of time to see the medic? Have you observed inmate medical conditions get worse because medical personnel did not see them? Are apparently mentally ill inmates segregated and forgotten about? If it is established in a lawsuit that an inmate did not receive proper medical and mental health care due to the deliberate indifference or incompetence of staff, the sheriff will have to write a check-most likely a big one.
• Personal safety: This is another area where large damages have been awarded to inmates and their families. You are duty bound to protect inmates from harm. Harm could come from other inmates, staff or themselves. Do you see inmates engage in fights while correctional officers look the other way? Do inmates complain that they are being threatened and staff does nothing? Are inmate safety concerns ignored or “laughed off”? Is the classification system inadequate where inmates who are predators are placed with weaker inmates? Is the classification staff notified of a potentially dangerous inmate housing situation? Or-do officers have the mindset: “Nothing has happened, all is well”. Do you have any “rogue staff” in your facility? You know-these are officers that routinely use excessive force on inmates. Common sense and level headedness tell you that the force they use is too much and that the rogue officer enjoys it. But-are supervisors informed? Are these officers disciplined? Remember-if an inmate files a lawsuit alleging that he was brutalized-he may recall that you were on scene. You will be named too. Are officers trained in suicide prevention? Is this talked about at roll call or taught in service classes? Is everything being done to protect inmates from self destructive behavior? How effective is your staff in preventing sexual assault-from inmates and staff?
• Recreation: Recreation can be a great way for inmates to let out tension and stored up energy. At times, due to short staffing, emergencies, etc. inmates may not receive the recommended amount of daily exercise. But-are segregated inmates not afforded recreation opportunities for long periods of time? Have you seen an inmate who is not misbehaving denied exercise because the correctional officer on post does not like him?

Being incarcerated in a jail is not a picnic and it is not meant to be. We pride ourselves in this country of having a modern, humane, well run correctional system. But it cannot be that if under the surface things are spoiling, releasing that figurative “odor”. While not many cases on food or clothing come up, legal actions about safety and medical care occur very frequently. Here are some examples:

• In 2006, the U.S. Justice Department issued a finding accusing the Dallas County, Texas jail stating that inmates suffered unnecessary injuries and death due to inadequate medical and mental health care. Booking and screening procedures for inmates with mental health and medical problems were inadequate. In 2011, the case against the jail was dismissed because the jail had made great improvements in these areas [4].
• In 2007, Harrison County, Mississippi settled with a deceased inmate’s family in the amount of $3.5 million in the alleged beating death of the inmate. A former jail officer was convicted of civil rights violations and the use of excessive force. He was sentenced to life in prison [1,5].

So-the next time that you are walking through your jail, hopefully thinking about staying out of a civil lawsuit or keeping grievances to a minimum, stop, pause and take the smell test. Think of the basic conditions and necessities that the courts have ruled must be provided to inmates. Take a look around. How ya’ doin’?

Part II of the Does Your Jail Pass the “Smell” Test? Series will discuss problem staff.

References:

1. Burton, Keith. (2007, July 2). Harrison County Reaches Settlement in Williams Jail Beating Death Lawsuit. GulfCoastNews.com. retrieved January 30, 2012, from http://www.gulfcoatsnews.com/GCNarchive/2007/GCNnewsWilliamsLawsuitSettled 07/02…
2. Collins, William C., J.D. (2010). Correctional Law for the Correctional Officer, 5th Edition. Alexandria: American Correctional Association.
3. Cornelius, Gary F. (2010). The Correctional Officer: A Practical Guide, Second Edition. Durham: Carolina Academic Press.
4. DOJ. DOJ Dismisses case against Dallas County Jail. (2011, November 14). The Corrections Connection. Retrieved December 2, 2011 from www.corrections.com/news/article/29653
5. WLOXabc13. (2007, November 1). Former Jailer Ryan Teel Sentenced to Life in Prison. Retrieved April 13, 2012 from http://lawreport.org/ViewStory.aspx?StoryID=5959

  

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I do a lot of corrections training throughout Virginia at both the college and in-service training academy levels, with an occasional “newbie” jail recruit officer class thrown in. In my travels, I meet many jail officers. We discuss not only our ideas on training but also the best ways we have discovered to manage inmates.

As one of the retired, I relate a simple four part approach that served me well in my 27 plus years working inside a jail. I also say that sometimes this approach worked most of the time. And-sometimes it did not; the inmate I was dealing with was so negative, obstinate or uncooperative that no positive approach by me would ever work to resolve a problem.

The approach is a “back to basic” approach-the Human Service Officer. To me it makes sense. Also, after I discuss it, you will probably agree that an officer does not have to compromise his or her authority. I first discovered this approach when I was teaching a college introduction to corrections course and after I had been working at the jail for several years. The book that I was using, Hard Time: Understanding and Reforming the Prison by Robert Johnson of American University, realistically discusses both inmates doing time and correctional staff managing them in effective ways. What I like about the book is that it explores the positive and negative aspects of the keepers and the kept. It discusses inmate adjustment as well as both good and bad correctional officer management techniques. I highly recommend it if you wish to further your career in corrections or simply learn more about your chosen field.

So-please consider this common sense approach (in my view) to manage inmates with a minimum of negativity and a maximum of basic human respect-after all-no matter what crimes they have committed-they are still people in our care. To get respect-you have to earn it.

• Providing goods and services: Simple approach. Inmates are to receive what they are supposed to receive. This tells them that the facility is aware of their needs. Hygiene items, medications, etc. are to be given without “head games”, etc. Services such as sick call, mail, meals, visiting, library, programs and recreation are scheduled and run smoothly.
• Referrals and advocacy: Veteran correctional officers can tell you that some-and certainly not all-inmates wish to change their lives and take advantage of the rehabilitative programs that are offered in the institution. Sometimes the inmate will need a nudge or some advice. Some inmates are lazy and will try to manipulate officers into doing all of the legwork about getting into programs. However, the officer-if on guard-will see through that. What officers can do is make a phone call or send a note to programs asking that the inmate be seen. In some cases, an officer can recommend an inmate for programs or assistance. But-this should happen after the officer talks to classification about the inmate (to see if there is a ploy or scheme going on). Also, the officer should also get permission from a supervisor. Tensions can also be reduced for example, if an officer calls the commissary office or the dispensary to check on a canteen order or medications for the inmate respectively thereby cutting through the “red tape”.
• Inmate adjustment: Inmates have to constantly adjust in the facility to housing reassignments and if they are new-getting used to incarceration. They have to adjust to overcrowded conditions and living with other inmates-some who they may be wary of or do not like. Some may be assaulted, harassed or feel threatened. Finally, the strain and stress of being locked up can result in depression and despair-which can lead to suicidal behavior or anger. Many of these issues can be positively managed by officers simply asking the inmate how he or she is doing and taking appropriate actions if things are not right. Just a humane word from an officer and a display of concern can go a long way. The feelings of powerlessness, vulnerability, loneliness and depression experienced by inmates can be counteracted with a kind word. The inmate who is having a problem may see a resolution or get some help from staff.
• Helping network: This is critical-everyone on staff working in the Human Service Officer mode. Inmates see consistency, which can make living in a correctional facility a lot easier. There is less anxiety if inmates see the staff is uniformly concerned about their welfare and basic needs and actions are taken to make life in the facility safer and more tolerable. For example, an inmate newly arrived in a cellblock is asked by an officer “how are you getting along?” The inmate tells the officer that he has had his food tray stolen and his cellmate has threatened him. A call to classification and to a supervisor results in an investigation, the bully is moved and the block and the inmate both breathe a sigh of relief.
  

As I said, this approach served me well during my jail career. After all, we want both staff and inmates to get along smoothly. This approach can help. Try it!

Reference: Johnson, Robert. (2002). Hard Time: Understanding and Reforming the Prison, Third Edition. Belmont: Wadsworth.

  

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When you work inside of a jail or prison, it seems at times that you are jumping from one problem to another, juggling one task to another. Inmates come to you with question after question, request after request. Your head spins and you can hardly hear yourself think.

A friend spoke to me recently about multi tasking and wondered about its application to corrections work. I replied that it is part of the job-but it does not have to be overwhelming. Correctional institutions are generally short staffed and in lean budget times supervisors are instructed to “do more with the less”, the translation being: fewer staff for heavy workloads.

What does this mean for the rank and file officer? Over time we see posts with one officer, officers unable to take breaks from the inmates, and over time officers experiencing stress and fatigue. And-rank and file officers are not the only ones affected. Any personnel that work with or around inmates feel the pressure. Medical staff sees more inmates on sick call; kitchen staff sees the increase in the meals that have to be prepared and classification and booking staffs have to interview more inmates, book in more inmates and handle more inmate problems. Everyone, from mental health to maintenance feels the “pinch”.

So-what can a correctional worker do to effectively juggle all of the tasks and responsibilities that come with the job? There are some methods-and they all start with the individual staff member. They take decision making skills, a sense of priority, a maintaining of calmness and a willingness to look at themselves.

So-in the interest of training, let’s have a short roll call discussion about “Juggling on the Job”:

Saying NO: This is probably the most important thing that you can do when dealing with a lot of inmate requests at the same time. You are the “traffic cop”. You can halt traffic at your post, secure the inmates and later listen to what they want in an orderly fashion. When inmates come to you asking for this or that-you can say no or tell them that you will come back [on your terms] and listen to what they have to say. Exercise control. Remember that inmates look to exploit any weaknesses in you that you display. By inmates doing so, you become flustered and confused, and may make a decision that is good for the inmate and bad for the facility, such as bending a rule or allowing an inmate to be in an unauthorized area. If you have trouble saying no you can do two things: either learn to overcome that or seek employment in another field.

Prioritizing: Correctional staff must develop a system of prioritization. Issues and problems of staff and inmate safety are top priority. But-many inmate requests are non emergency and can be handled by other sections in the institution. Inmates are not generally patient people: they want what they want when they want it, and will pester you to get it. Prioritize your assignments and keep in mind what is the most important aspect of your job: inmate accountability and security/safety for all. If inmates hand you requests either written or verbal, that can wait-they will have to wait. You can address many issues one at a time. As I used to say politely but firmly to inmates: “This is jail”. As stated above: you are the post “traffic cop”. You decide what traffic flows where. Sometimes serious situations happen fast. Emergencies and serious situations that demand your immediate attention can happen at a moment’s notice. Remember your training and responsibilities and handle them first.

Do not procrastinate: As I tell my trainees in my stress and time management classes: do the most difficult things first-no matter how distasteful or difficult. For example, an inmate wants to see you. You know that he is “slick” or a complainer and will take up a lot of your time with requests that you cannot or will not honor. Or-she may be an inmate who needs a lot of staff attention; some inmates want you to do things for them that they can do themselves. However, some inmates do have legitimate concerns about their safety, welfare, health or mental state that must be addressed. Whatever and whoever the case, you should deal with these inmates early in your tour or immediately as the requests come to your attention. DO NOT PUT THEM OFF! As your tour of duty moves along, you will be thinking more about wrapping things up and going home. The last thing you want with an hour before shift relief is to try to handle a lot of requests that you have put off and delayed. If you are a supervisor, delegate and get other staff to assist you.

Watch your stress levels: Correctional work can be overwhelming and it is no surprise that it can result in being stressed out, fatigued and burned out. Events and situations come at you fast-try to deal with them one at a time, and ask for help from colleagues whenever possible. You-the correctional officer- are not Superman or Superwoman. You are human. If you feel overwhelmed, talk to your supervisor. The best supervisors will both talk to you and try different management approaches to take some of the load off of their subordinates. Finally-you are number one. Practice good stress management techniques such as exercise, relaxation and time management, just to name a few. One good stress technique is to pause, collect your thoughts and take a deep breath before moving on with the task(s) at hand. If the situation is non emergency in nature-the inmates can wait until you are ready to deal with them.

Get training: Enhancement and improvement of job skills should be encouraged by supervisors. Correctional training right now is in a “golden age”. There are many subjects being offered at conferences, in academies, on line and in seminars and classes with live instructors. Staff can attend training in stress management, time management and inmate management. They can return to the job with some new ideas and fresh approaches. As a result they can work “smarter, not harder”. One of the hardest things about seeking training is establishing the need for it. Conduct a self inventory. Are you handling multiple tasks well? Do you say NO enough? Do you feel overwhelmed on the job? Ask your colleagues and supervisors for constructive criticisms of your work. If you have flaws, act on them and get training to correct them. You will be a better officer for doing so.

Finally remember: working inside a jail, prison, juvenile center or any correctional facility may seem to you at times to be a circus. You don’t have to be the juggler!

Published with permission of the International Association of Corrections Training Personnel