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“You have a twisted mind. But, that is a good thing.” That is not some cheesy line from a Cheesy 1980’s B-movie. It is a vocational truism. And it is the basis of this icebreaker.
A good way to jump start a module on security awareness is to give the following introduction. Read more…
Only one of them saw the way out of danger and tried to escape. She scaled the wall of the metal cylinder before the hot liquid won the battle. Yet, though she knew the way to safety, she could not go there. Others pulled her down. Perhaps they were panicking and did not know better. Maybe it was a sort of sick realization that they were all going to die. No matter how hard she tried, the crab could not leave the boiling pot. The other crabs pulled her down to an eventual collective death.
A colleague of mine once remarked that one does not have to place a lid on a boiling pot of live crabs. He told me that the crabs will pull each other down. While I do not know if this is true in all cases, I can acknowledge that it is an interesting concept. Read more…
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One thing is certain: One does not have to be high in the chain of command to guide others. Many corrections line staff have considerable influence on their peers. Their confidence, reputation, knowledge and hard work are some of the factors that make these de facto leaders an important commodity. Read more… |
(From Richard Lumb, Ph.D.)
My comments are a follow-up to Joe and Ron’s November 13, 2009 posting on the use and application of resilience tools to help moderate the impact of stress and the encounter with adversity or trauma that ranges from minor discomfort to mind and body wrenching crisis. Daily pressure is inevitable and we often ride waves of discomfort with accompanying emotions usually returning to a place of balance where coping takes place naturally. Read more…
There is a very dangerous road in all corrections settings. This thoroughfare is known as Division Street.
It is not difficult to see that any prison or jail is very much like a city. The comparisons of services in either setting simply jump out at anyone who ponders this. There is a restaurant, a library, a police force, a medical center and housing units in each.
Let us delve a bit deeper. Some of the same street names surely exist in your city as do in a corrections setting. However, the street names in your city are actual while those in jails or prison don’t really exist. They are really models of behavior that we label in order to understand in a fuller manner. Read more…
Recently, Institutional Training Officer Mike Plourde, developed a module called “Con Games”. “Con Games” addresses some of the ruses and manipulation that may be executed on corrections staff. He paired that with Joe Bouchard’s module “Wake up and Smell the Contraband”, encompassing the whys and hows of illicit activities inside the walls of corrections facilities. Part of that module which deals with trepidation because of manipulation is presented here. 
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Prior to entering corrections, I was a steel worker. Al (a.k.a. “The Dog”) was my supervisor. He taught me a lot about interpersonal relations and surviving in a sometimes difficult environment. He did not necessarily speak these lessons, as he was more action-oriented than a verbal sort.
Ultimately, I was surprised about the applicability of those lessons when I moved to corrections.
Often, I apply them to the nebulous and confusing art of dealing with difficult personalities. There is also applicability when I engage in the frequently arduous task of gaining a better understanding of myself. Read more…
Assessing the organization, Inside Out, Self Scrutiny, Staff relations
H1N1, economic woes, and wars fill our minds. As a public, we have so much on our collective plates. Yet this stress has been the status quo for so long. Add those concerns to the daily duties of any corrections professional. As a matter of course, all corrections staff face the possibility of grievances, litigation and assaults. Daily interaction with those who, quite frankly, are not easy to deal with is also a major stressor.
Certainly, we seem resilient enough to deal with the many challenges on and off the job. However, there is ample evidence that suggests we endure a cumulative, crippling harm due to stress. Read more…
It is here again. Happy Friday the 13th!!! We welcome you, day of superstition. We are not afraid. Well, most of us are not.
Friday the 13th comes and goes. On the face of it, the 13th is only a date between the 12th and 14th. Yet why does it represent a day of caution to many people? Read more…
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Sometimes, the news can be unbelievable. For example, the horror on the campus of Virginia Tech in 2007 left us collectively numb. All of us were dropped into a state of disbelief by those atrocious killings. The air was thick with feelings of confusion and grieving. We felt the same last week when the horror at Fort Hood unfolded. Unfortunately, other events come to mind as we cope with these tragedies. Even so, we are not wholly desensitized by large losses of lives such as Columbine and the events of 9/11. While these forms of terrorism have become a horrible part of our lives, they still rattle our sense of safety. Read more… |