Corrections Officers: The Forgotten Cops

As I have mentioned before I am in the US Army. More importantly I am a Military Policeman. No I am more than that. I am a Corrections Officers or what the Army calls an Internment Resettlement Specialist. This grandiose title means that not only do I deal with the undesirables of our country but those from other countries as well.

It has been written that Corrections Officers are law enforcement officers, no more, no less. To exclude them is no different than excluding FBI agents, Sheriffs Officers, or State Troopers. While our jobs may differ, we all deal with the same bad guys and are all part of the same culture.

Imagine the worst street in your town (if you even have a worst street). You know, the street that even the police avoid. Now, multiply that street times ten. That's what we as Corrections Officers deal with every day.

Several times I have been given notice that we were to receive a new inmate that has an assaultive past. Generally there are only two escorts bringing this guy in and they are quick to pass him off as soon as they can. A lot of the time when a group of us, usually five or more, meets the new inmate he settles right down. On the few rare occasions where he keeps fighting, he disappears into a cloud of uniforms. All you see is this cloud moving back into the jail with a pair of ankles as a tail.

Corrections is also the one law enforcement job that people quit from out of fear. They have had such a problem with new hires leaving half way through the first shift or after their first day because they couldn't handle the inmates, that most correctional facilities had to change their hiring procedures. Now, in most facilities, you have to actually work in the facility with the bad guys before you can go to the academy to ensure that you can handle it. And, this is not criticism of those who left there. It's a very tough job. Bottom line, you have to have courage to work there.

Imagine the ten worst bad guys you ever dealt with or have seen on TV. Now imagine having to deal with hundreds of them at one time. It's dealing with the All-Star team of bad guys. Many facilities have gone to this new prisoner management style called Direct Supervision. Under this style one or two CO's monitor an entire meal hall with as many as a hundred prisoners. These two guys are alone and locked in there with the bad guys.

Many of you, even those who are skilled in other law enforcement jobs, could not necessarily handle the job of a Corrections Officer. The guys and girls who work there hold a badge of honor being a Corrections Officer. If you doubt this, ask any cop on the street who began his career in with a corrections agency.