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Several readers lately asked that I address the topic of staff bullying other staff—intimidating, harassing, threatening, coercing colleagues to do something they do not want to do.
Before I tackle such an article I would like to invite you to email me your personal experiences and observations regarding this issue in the corrections workplace.
Here are some questions to get you started. Read more…
Sadly, the corrections workplace is one of the “natural” environments for the development of PTSD. That is because correctional workers are exposed to incidents that are considered traumatic, as they may experience, witness, or are confronted with events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others.¹
Correctional workers are directly or indirectly exposed to violence, death, physical assaults, assaults with weapons, and threats of bodily harm or death, all of which are known to increase the likelihood that individuals exposed to such conditions will develop PTSD symptoms. Read more…
Over the years correctional workers have shared with me examples of leaders—supervisors and executive staff—who impacted them positively. Here are some of these examples. As you read this article, think about areas where you, as a leader, can put similar behaviors to practice. Proactively make “deposits” in your “bank account” with staff to have “funds” to draw upon during challenging times.
First and foremost, legendary leaders care about their staff as individuals, and they prove their caring with their actions. Read more…
Over the years I’ve noticed a number of traits and behaviors among correctional workers who manage to stay healthy and effective on and off the job. Read more…
This is an email sent to me by a former correctional officer, who gave me permission to share it with others. It is very sobering as it raises the issue of responsibility for our own well-being. Read it and remember that you do have choices. If you don’t already, start taking care of your physical, psychological and spiritual needs actively and consistently. Nobody else can do it for you.
The gate slams behind you as you enter the prison. You take a deep breath as you prepare for the day ahead. Let the games begin!
Each day becomes a day of survival spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. The money is good. The job provides “security”(boy, isn’t that a play on words!).
But for the money and security there is a heavy price to pay for many. Their world becomes no different than that of the prisoners—hopeless, worrisome, painful, fearful. Many officers say “I do my eight and skate,” but is that statement really true?
This is a letter sent our way a few months ago. A trusted colleague who also works at California Dept. of C orrections & Rehabilitation said this about it: This is an absolute factual account of prison life. The author has done an excellent job of describing the conditions inside of California’s prisons, while pointing out the inequities between felons and working people, with the felons receiving all the benefits, while we work responsibly only to be burdened by paycuts. Excellently done.
As a California Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation (CDCR) employee, I have had my fill with the statements being made in the media about how the overpaid state employees (prison guards) are draining the state’s budget, and how the poor inmates (convicted FELONS) are dropping like flies due to substandard medical care and brutal living conditions. Allow me to cast some light onto these shadowy areas with my ten plus years of insight behind the walls.
Be a force for positive change. Empower your colleagues. Point out progress, no matter how small. Tell them what value they contribute to the team and the institution. Read more…
During the course of his 15-year career in corrections, Marv has watched a multitude of videos of riots, and incidents of inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff violence. He has also witnessed many such incidents first-hand. He’s had to cut several inmates down who had attempted or completed suicide by hanging. Years later, Marv vouches that nothing that he sees at work upsets him. He has learned to live in a cocoon of detachment, insulated from outside events and from his emotions. His loved ones at home tell him that he’s distant, uncaring, “cold.” Once in awhile though, horrific images visit him in his sleep, and cause him to awaken startled, his heart racing. Read more…